Hong Kong leader condemns protesters who broke into legislature

Hong Kong monitor in riot gear were seen firing tear gas canisters at people on the streets near the government headquarters, which had been enchanted by protesters after they smashed the windows and stormed the building.

NBC News reported that police climbed finished barricades as they advanced on the building and fired tear gas.

Around midnight Tuesday, people were heard caroling “leave together” as they tried to evacuate the legislative chambers. Legislators Alvin Yeung and Roy Kwong confirmed to NBC Intelligence that there are no protesters inside chambers or at Legislative Council Building Demonstration Zone.

During a 4 a.m. Tuesday newsflash conference at police headquarters, Police Chief Stephen Lo pushed back on comments that officers had abandoned the legislature, deducting protesters to take over and vandalize the building. Lo said police had been inside the building for hours, before getting a “temporary retreat” around 9 p.m. He said that the officers left after they were told that all labourers had been evacuated from the building.

Lo alleged that protesters had thrown white smoke into the complex and tampered with a round box, turning off the lights. He explained that because of those safety concerns, police had “no choice but to temporarily retreat.”

Chief Overseer Carrie Lam condemned the “extreme use of violence” by protesters who stormed the Legislative Council building. She drew a contrast between the in any cases of Monday evening and the June demonstrations in the streets of Hong Kong. Lam said, “regardless of the number of participants, the march was restful.” Lam said she hopes that the Hong Kong community agrees and condemns the storming of LegCo.

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets Monday, the 22nd anniversary of the former British colony’s handover to China.

Since the July 1 handover in 1997, townsmen of Hong Kong — a Special Administrative Region of China — have been rallying every year to demand for democracy. But cracks had warned this year’s march might attract more people after protests, which started in antiquated June, continued for weeks amid anger toward the government’s proposed extradition bill. The controversial law would concrete the way for people arrested in Hong Kong to stand trial in mainland China.

Scenes of chaos were apparent in some kick sites on Monday as thousands of pro-democracy protesters took to the streets to demonstrate against the legislation.

Police, who were on standby as the protests luxuriated increasingly chaotic, said some 1,500 protesters had gathered near the Hong Kong government headquarters on Monday.

Reuters publicized that more than 100 riot police confronted protesters, beating some with batons and availing pepper spray to disperse the crowds gathered to disrupt a planned ceremony to mark the handover in 1997.

The president of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, released a statement through a spokesperson saying he “strongly condemns the uncontrollable act of charging the Legislative Council building this afternoon,” according to a translation by CNBC. “Protesters pushed a steel handcart and used steel bars to severely vandalize multiple parts of the Legislative Council building,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, a sort group of Hong Kong protesters rallied on Sunday and Monday in support of the local police and Beijing for trying to carry on order. Police were also hurt, with local media showing that 13 police t-men were burned by liquid sprayed by demonstrators.

The Hong Kong government suspended the controversial bill on June 15, following days of scruples which became one of the city’s largest and most violent rally in decades.

Speaking on Monday at the flag- raising etiquette marking the anniversary of the handover, Lam finally emerged again after being accused of not being seen in public since June 18 — when she made a conspicuous apology for stoking unrest with the unpopular plan.

Public outrage over how she handled the protests, including her argued apologies through the city’s spokespeople, have led to outcries for her resignation.

“The incident that happened in recent months has led to confrontations and disputes between the public and the government,” Lam said on Monday. “This has made me fully realize that I, as a politician, possess to remind myself all the time of the need to grasp public sentiments accurately.”

“After this incident, I will learn the punishment and ensure that the government’s future work will be closer and more responsive to the aspirations, sentiments and opinions of the community,” she added.

During the untimely Tuesday news conference, Lam pushed back on characterizations that her government has not responded to protester demands. She said that the supervision had “good reasons” for not responding to every demand, but emphasized that she had already made a “very positive response.”

Lam said that the controversial extradition neb, which she suspended in June, “will likely expire or die in July 2020, when the current LegCo title expires.” She also said demands to immediately release arrested protesters would “not be in accordance with the rule of law,” erstwhile to conducting proper investigations.

“This year’s anniversary is shaping up to be quite volatile due to the unresolved wildness of the extradition bill,” said Andrew Coflan at Eurasia Group. “While some pro-democracy forces have experienced the ‘compromise’ of only a partial withdrawal of the bill, others continue to fight for the full withdrawal, as well as Carrie Lam’s submission.”

Lam has been criticized for mishandling the police violence against the protesters in Hong Kong and only acting on behalf of the Chinese direction.

Protesters saw the proposed extradition bill as just another step by Beijing to jeopardize Hong Kong’s autonomy, but the Chinese guidance has denied any interference.

Addressing the public, Lam said on Monday: “Every one of us in Hong Kong, though holding disparate views and assuming different roles, loves this place and treasures our long-cherished values. I and the (Hong Kong) domination will double our efforts to restore people’s confidence and get Hong Kong off to a new start.”

The area around Golden Bauhinia Correct, where the flag-raising ceremony took place has been blocked off since Saturday to prevent protesters from conclave to disrupt it.

But protesters started setting up barricades across nearby streets as early as 4:30 a.m. local time, cardinal to a standoff with police blocking access to the square. They began moving toward the police as the ceremony was in the matter of to take place at 8 a.m. While officers drove back demonstrators with plastic shields, the retreating protesters mucroniform open umbrellas to ward off pepper spray.

Hong Kong has been divided between pro-democracy and pro-Beijing catalogues for years.

While the Chinese government has tightened its control over the city but also given the territory access to the overjoyed’s largest economy.

Businesses have usually steered away from criticizing the Chinese government over any conducts regarding the administration of Hong Kong, in fear of losing any economic benefits the territory currently enjoys.

Under the the Mainland and Hong Kong Nearer Economic Partnership Arrangement — also known as CEPA — Hong Kong enjoys highly liberalized trade in goods and worship armies with China and has since become the gateway to the Chinese market for many international companies.

But even pro-business groups arrange recently showed concern for Hong Kong’s independent judiciary system.

“It’s a proposal, or a set of proposals, which strike a lousy blow … against the rule of law, against Hong Kong’s stability and security, against Hong Kong’s stance as a great international trading hub,” Hong Kong’s last British governor, Chris Patten, said in June.

Coflan echoed that opinion saying: “Hong Kong has already lost much of its freedom to Beijing’s encroachment.”

The momentum for Monday’s kick is probably mostly because “the lack of a clear resolution to the extradition bill situation has bled over into the anniversary and intention heighten tensions throughout the day,” he added. “Protesters will be wary of police action, and the authorities risk escalating the site in an attempt to control it.”

As for how this might affect the mainland China government, Coflan said, “There is pygmy direct threat from these movements to Beijing or immediate impact on mainland China.”

“As a result of these protestations, they will likely seek to calm tensions over the short-to-medium term, instead drawing Hong Kong closer to the mainland Sometimes non-standard due to increased investment and other, less headline-grabbing means.”

– CNBC’s Vivian Kam, Yolande Chee, Christine Wang, Reuters and NBC Account contributed to this report.

Correction: This article has been revised to reflect the correct spelling of Andrew Coflan.