Central Hong Kong becomes battleground as riot police clash with protesters after third major march against extradition bill and siege of Beijing’s liaison office

The heart of Hong Kong’s business district was turned into a war zone on Sunday night as riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets into crowds of protesters to chase them off the streets, after a day of defiance that saw them lay siege to Beijing’s liaison office for the first time in the social unrest over the now-suspended extradition bill.

After another massive anti-government march from Causeway Bay to Wan Chai in the afternoon broke up into rolling waves of protests that spread to Admiralty, Central and Sheung Wan, the main road outside the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal became the smoke-filled battleground for late-night clashes between heavily geared riot police and masked and helmeted youths in black.

Nearly two hours after police warned they would move in to clear the roads, fully equipped officers from the elite Special Tactical Squad let loose with tear gas and rubber bullets, while protesters fought back or counter-attacked with bottles, bricks, poles, and umbrellas.

“We have nothing to lose now, I am not afraid,” one of them shouted, while fires lit by protesters burned at the barricades they set up.

The government issued a late-night statement to strongly condemn protesters for deviating from their mandated march route and challenging Beijing’s sovereignty by besieging the liaison office, where they vandalised the national emblem.

The government vowed to investigate the attack, and the liaison office followed up with a statement saying while it respected those who expressed their views peacefully, marches had repeatedly ended in unlawful demonstrations, with protesters charging police cordons, laying siege to police headquarters and occupying roads.