Violent clashes between protesters and police mar Hong Kong’s most muted handover anniversary celebrations on record
- 13 police officers were taken to hospital after anti-government protesters attacked them with a liquid believed to be drain cleaner
- Chief Executive Carrie Lam breaks with tradition to talk about self reflection and promises to change her governing style
Hong Kong on Monday marked the 22nd anniversary of its return to Chinese rule with the shortest and most muted official celebration on record, while riot police battled hundreds of protesters near the venue.
Thirteen police officers were taken to hospital after they were splashed with an unidentified liquid that was believed to be drain cleaner during violent clashes with protesters on Lung Wo Road, Tim Mei Avenue and Harcourt Road around the city’s legislative and administrative centre.
In an unprecedented retreat, the government moved its main celebration indoors at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, from where attending dignitaries watched a live broadcast of the flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square.
The city’s embattled leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, broke with tradition to talk about self-reflection over her mishandling of the now-suspended extradition bill, rather than Hong Kong’s development in the national context.
Lam, who also raised eyebrows by dressing in sombre colours, gave a six-minute speech in which she largely concentrated on the lessons she would learn from the political crisis that has engulfed her administration as a result of the bill.
This marked her first appearance in public since apologising on June 18 over the controversial legislation, which is still provoking mass protests as Lam is refusing to completely withdraw it.