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SCMP Reporters

Hong Kong faced its 16th straight weekend of anti-government protests, with tear gas and beanbag rounds fired at protesters, who caused havoc at a mall and in MTR stations on Sunday.
After Saturday’s violence, protesters took over a shopping mall in Sha Tin on Sunday, targeting businesses linked to mainland China, or seen as being pro-police or pro-government, and forcing them to close. The chaos in Sha Tin then escalated, resulting in tear gas fired by police. 
Protesters also desecrated a national flag and threw it into the river in Sha Tin.
Demonstrators had vowed to disrupt airport operations by blocking access roads, but a heavy police deployment along road and rail links prevented travel chaos. The action shifted from Sha Tin to Tsing Yi and Kwai Fong, as protesters heckled police and damaged MTR facilities, before ending up at Prince Edward, a flashpoint for demonstrations as officers opened fire with beanbag rounds outside Mong Kok Police Station. 
Our live blog below captured the day's events. Reporting by Yujing Liu, Linda Lew, Ng Kang-chung, Simone McCarthy, Karen Yeung, Laurie Chen, Jeffie Lam, Danny Mok and Zoe Low. 


As it happened: how Hong Kong protesters went on mall and MTR rampage, as police fired tear gas and beanbag rounds

Photo: Edmond So

Boy and girl, both 13, released on bail after being arrested on Saturday night amid Hong Kong protests

News

Hong Kong

Politics

A crowd had surrounded Tseung Kwan O Police Station on Saturday night. Photo: Winson Wong

Anti-government protestors in black, burns the national flag in Tuen Mun. 21SEP19 SCMP / Sam Tsang


Crowds earlier took over Sha Tin mall and targeted businesses run by mainland operators or which they deem are pro-Beijing
City is into its 16th straight weekend of protests sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill



Crowds earlier took over mall in Sha Tin and targeted businesses run by mainland operators or which they deem are pro-Beijing. City is into its 16th straight weekend of protests sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill.


Hong Kong protests

Hong Kong extradition bill

Live

New Town Plaza in Sha Tin has seen the most action since noon with protesters gathering there and singing rally songs. They then later target businesses seen to be pro-Beijing or belonging to mainland operators, while others put up anti-government signs on windows in the mall. 


Outside the Jade Garden restaurant, a line of about 40 protesters form to jam the automated reservation system, chanting slogans in front of the restaurant entrance. Diners waiting for tables and staff on hand declined to comment. 

 


New Town Plaza in Sha Tin targeted

Huawei and the Best Mart 360 at New Town Plaza have both closed their doors after being targeted by a group of at least sixty protesters stickering their fronts and hitting against the shuttered doors.
Video: SCMP/Simone McCarthy pic.twitter.com/ekHs8bBE3V
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) September 22, 2019


Huawei and Best Mart 360 close doors

In Tung Chung, it is all quiet so far, but police presence at the airport is heavy, including a line of vehicles lined up outside the departure hall. 




At the airport...

With Airport Express trains no longer stopping at Kowloon, Tsing Yi or AsiaWorld-Expo stations, downtown check-in services are only available at Hong Kong station, while police presence there is also heavy.




Hong Kong station on guard

A group of protesters on bikes started their journey from Tsuen Wan Park to gather information on police whereabouts and transportation to send to front line demonstrators.
Video: SCMP/Karen Yeung pic.twitter.com/9Hzqgnwl6L
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) September 22, 2019


Cyclists in Tsuen Wan

In Sha Tin's New Town Plaza, which is the scene of the most protest action so far today (Sunday), demonstrators unfurl banners from different floors of the mall, saying they are not afraid of death and accusing police of abusing the law. 
Other protesters occupy the atrium of the mall and sit down to make origami cranes in a show of support for the movement. Two American flags also go up. 


 


Sha Tin mall filled with protest action

Protesters have made a chain of reservation receipts from the Maxim's catering group, hanging the joined slips of paper from many levels up as the crowd cheers. 
The crowd cheers as protesters lower down a chain of receipts from a Maxim's group restaurant. It stretches from the sixth floor all the way down to ground level.
Video SCMP/Simone McCarthy pic.twitter.com/wLhMqQoPMT
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) September 22, 2019

 
 


Paper trail

Uncle Chan said he’s recovered from being pepper sprayed last night and criticised his treatment at the hands of police.
Vdeo: SCMP/Laurie Chen pic.twitter.com/kIkJnnBmIU
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) September 22, 2019


Uncle Chan responds

At the Tsing Ma toll plaza, the driver of a small van is seen being handcuffed and taken into a police vehicle after a search. Items in the van include several umbrellas and a carton of bottled water. Police seize the umbrellas. 



Driver handcuffed

Protesters started chanting and singing while walking through the 1st floor of V city in Tuen Mun.
Video: SCMP/Karen Yeung pic.twitter.com/ryXwkafeuy
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) September 22, 2019


Action returns to Tuen Mun

At New Town Plaza, protesters have spray painted slogans and messages on the exterior of targeted shops which are now closed. 
At Hey Tea, some painted the words "Tea Party" on its shutters, referencing the Chinese Community Party. 




Vandalism at Sha Tin mall

Protesters have attacked the ticket machines, entrances and security cameras with hammers and metal rods in Sha Tin station.
Protesters in Sha Tin MTR station are destroying ticket machines using hammers.
Video: SCMP/Simone McCarthy pic.twitter.com/ejoINHiEMH
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) September 22, 2019



Tickets machines trashed

A group of protesters in the centre of Sha Tin's New Town Plaza have taken a Chinese flag and are walking over it and dragging it across the bottom floor of the mall, as a procession follows a leader to chants of “add oil”.
Video: SCMP pic.twitter.com/jFs3Rn0fmd
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) September 22, 2019


Stomping on flag

Footage shows protesters spray painting and ripping the Chinese national flag.
Video: SCMP/Lea Li pic.twitter.com/C78tHsU34V
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) September 22, 2019


Flag abuse continues in Sha Tin

Riot police have arrived in Sha Tin New Town Plaza shopping mall. Some are pointing pepper spray canisters at protesters, who have vandalised MTR ticketing machines, barriers and CCTV cameras.


Riot police arrive in mall

Sha Tin MTR station will be closed soon, as ticket barriers have been vandalised, an announcement says. No East Rail trains will stop at the station.


MTR station to close

Meanwhile, in Tsing Yi station, protesters are spraying a liquid from a can at the closed entrances. Trains will not stop at Tsing Yi now, according to an announcement.


Protesters in Tsing Yi station

This was the scene as anti-government protesters threw the national flag into the Shing Mun River in Sha Tin. Photos: Nora Tam


 


Flag thrown in river

Protesters have partially forced open a gate at Sha Tin MTR station and are trying to re-enter the station, as riot police exit the scene. They go on a rampage and smash a security camera. 
Fire trucks have arrived on the scene as an alarm goes off in New Town Plaza. 
Protesters tip over trash bins in a tunnel between the mall and the MTR station, throwing torn sign boards all over the floor. They are also spraying water from a fire hose. 
At Tsing Yi, protesters shout abuse at police, and point lasers while jeering at Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip Tak-kuen who was delivering a speech on the 70th anniversary of the republic at an esplanade near the MTR station. As Nip departs in a car, protesters surround it and continue to jeer. 
Photos by Felix Wong and Sam Tsang. 




Sha Tin descends into chaos, minister jeered

The public spaces in Sha Tin's New Town Plaza mall are being vandalised, and rubbish bins are being thrown down the escalators and around the ground floor. Protesters are also spraying water, with the ground floor covered in oil and soap.
Hundreds of protesters and shoppers watch from the balconies, some occasionally cheering. 
Police have gone back into Sha Tin MTR station but have yet to enter the mall.
Parts of New Town Plaza in Sha Tin are being ransacked as rubbish bins are thrown down escalators and protesters cover the floor in oil and soap.
Video: SCMP/Simone McCarthy pic.twitter.com/e9HG0SFPdN
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) September 22, 2019
 
More footage of the destruction inside New Town Plaza.
Video: SCMP/Simone McCarthy pic.twitter.com/NV6bJo02jE
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) September 22, 2019



Mall being vandalised

The MTR Corp has said in an official statement that a train carriage to Tung Chung was deliberately damaged by someone, obstructing service. The matter is being dealt with by MTR staff.


Train carriage damaged

Members of police's Special Tactical Squad, known as Raptors, have arrived at Tsing Yi MTR station, after an emergency alarm went off there.
Angry residents are asking how they can leave the station. One man says he has waited at least 15 minutes after station staff told them to stay at the platform when they were asked to leave the train, which was coming from Tung Chung. He said he did not know how he would get to Kwai Ching.



Raptors at Tsing Yi station

Citybus and New World First Bus have announced the suspension of bus routes S1, S52, S52A and S56, while routes 170, 798, E11, E11A, E21, E22, E22A, E23 and E23A would be diverted.


Bus services affected

Protesters have removed large glass panels from the outside of Sha Tin New Town Plaza, which earlier they had used for a "Lennon Wall". They are now using the panels to make a barricade.


Barricades at mall

Protesters have just sprayed graffiti at exit A1 of Nam Cheong station, vandalised electrical facilities and pulled out a fire hose. 




Nam Cheong MTR station takes damage

Police say radical protesters at Sha Tin MTR station are recklessly damaging facilities with hard objects, spraying water on the floor and throwing objects.
Report room services at Sha Tin Police Station are temporarily suspended and in case of emergency, please dial 999. 
They also warn the protesters to stop all illegal acts and leave immediately.


Police warning for protesters

Radical protesters are going on a rampage in New Town Plaza in Sha Tin, grabbing materials they can find and moving them to the central atrium to barricade access to the linked MTR station. 
They spray water from fire hoses down escalators and throw trash bins down the steps. 
On digital maps showing mall info at kiosks, protesters have kicked out the glass panels, while others use a large central signboard to build a wall.
Hundreds remain watching and cheering the action, while mall-goers try to find their way out amid the chaos as protesters ferry in materials such as metal road barriers. 
The mall has announced that it is now closed, and that all patrons should leave. 
Photos by Sam Tsang and Edmond So. 



 


Chaos continues in Sha Tin mall

There has also been more damage to Nam Cheong station, including smashed surveillance cameras, and water sprayed on the floor from a fire hose. A number of police vehicles are arriving at the station.




 Police arrive at Nam Cheong station

Protesters are now pouring out of New Town Plaza as news spreads that more police are on the way. Some bring materials such as barricades as they exit. 
Here are some scenes they leave in their wake. Photos by Sam Tsang. 





More scenes of Sha Tin mall damage

Protesters have set fire to a barricade on Yuen Wo Road in Sha Tin. Police are chasing after the protesters with pepper spray. Several men have been subdued, with police using pepper spray at close quarters.
 




Barricade set on fire

A group of some 100 protesters are entering the station as one of them holds up an umbrella to block a surveillance camera at an entrance. 



Meanwhile, at Austin station...

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has told a pro-Beijing labour and political group, the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, that the government will spare no effort in stopping violence, maintaining social order and safeguarding rice bowls. She was speaking during a cocktail reception on the 70th anniversary of the republic earlier today.



Carrie Lam doubles down on no-violence stance

Police have raised a black flag in Sha Tin warning of the use of tear gas. Protesters have opened umbrellas in a defensive line.
Radical protesters have set barricades and started fires at Yuen Wo Road endangering the safety of everyone on site and seriously affecting the traffic situation nearby, police say.
They say they are using appropriate force to conduct a dispersal operation, and warn all protesters to stop all illegal acts and leave immediately.
They reminded residents in the vicinity to stay tuned to the latest situation, stay indoors and keep their windows shut, if necessary.



Tear gas warning

The MTR Corp has released a statement saying that at 4.11pm, some people illegally rushed into the driver’s compartment of a train to Tung Chung at Nam Cheong station, when the doors opened for passengers to board and alight.
They also placed an emergency ramp (pictured) on tracks so the train could not move, blocking the service. MTR staff had to remove the obstruction and check if anyone had charged onto the tracks, before restoring operations at 5.42pm. 



Tung Chung line deliberately stalled: MTR

Protesters in Sha Tin have lit another fire blockade of palms and cardboard as they retreat.



Another fire lit

A couple of hundred protesters remain at the outdoor space in front of New Town Plaza in Sha Tin, some quickly dismantling pavements to collect bricks and passing petrol to their front line where they have lit a fire.
A few hundred metres stands between them and scores of riot police.

 


Pavement being ripped up

About 100 protesters are confronting police at Tsing Yi MTR station. Some set off a fire extinguisher at the space connecting the Maritime Square mall and the station concourse while officers, standing behind station shutters, shine bright lights on them.
Others are dancing and teasing police.


Stand-off at Tsing Yi MTR station

Multiple rounds of tear gas have been fired outside Sha Tin Town Hall. The rounds were fired in the direction of Lucky Plaza, where a crowd had gathered on the balcony.
 


Tear gas fired

A very small line of protesters who were crouching on Tam Kon Po Road, umbrellas raised, have dispersed after putting out the tear gas rounds.
They retreated back to the outdoor space in front of New Town Plaza, where another line of protesters crouch behind umbrellas and a blockade that is still burning.


Protesters retreat

Passers-by without protective gear have been affected by the tear gas fired in Sha Tin.



Passers-by affected

More than 20 officers in riot gear are on standby, as some 100 protesters taunt them at Elements mall at Kowloon station. 
As more protesters gather on the first floor of the complex, police raise the yellow flag, warning people not to cross a cordon.



Yellow flag raised at Elements

Riot police, followed by members of the Special Tactical Squad, or Raptors, advance on Tam Kon Po Street in Sha Tin as protesters hurl bricks and other objects at them from an overpass.
Police fire more rounds of tear gas.
Footage shows people hurling objects at the police and police firing back.
Video: SCMP/Linda Lew pic.twitter.com/iyTbdlSBmB
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) September 22, 2019


Riot police advance, more tear gas fired

Most shops at Maritime Square in Tsing Yi are shut, with alarms ringing across the mall. Dozens of residents, some wearing masks, are gathering at the connecting MTR exit.


 


Tsing Yi mall shuts down

Developer Sun Hung Kai Properties, which owns New Town Plaza, condemns radicals for the unauthorised gathering and what it says is disturbance to public order and tenants. It adds it is extremely regrettable that facilities were damaged and the Chinese flag desecrated. 


Sun Hung Kai hits out

Police raised a black flag and about 50 officers started to rush up the escalator from Kowloon MTR station to the first floor of Elements shopping mall.
But about 100 protesters had already dispersed into the mall.
The luxurious mall houses international fashion brands such as Miu Miu, Valentino and Versace. It is located at the 118-storey International Commerce Centre, the tallest building in Hong Kong, and also holds the offices of global investment banks and financial firms.
The black flag was raised and about 50 police officers charged up from Kowloon MTR station to the 1st floor of Elements shopping mall. But the protesters had already dispersed.
Video: SCMP/Karen Yeung pic.twitter.com/xiaTQXwDSc
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) September 22, 2019


Police rush to mall

The MTR Corporation has announced that its Kowloon station is now closed as trains will not stop for safety reasons. 


Kowloon MTR station closes

Police are rounding up their sweep of Sha Tin Park, having divided into groups and marched through the riverside area, where protesters fled to. A group of residents gathers at a bridge to shout at officers. 
The area has seen the most intense clashes so far for the day, with tear gas fired after protesters damaged facilities at a mall and MTR station. 


Police round up sweep at Sha Tin

About 20 riot police are standing outside exit D of Kwai Fong MTR station, while a crowd of about 100 chant slogans at them from across the road. 
Some are pointing lasers and shouting “black cops” at police.


 
 


Riot police at Kwai Fong station

All shops are now closed at Elements mall after police charged up from Kowloon MTR station. Protesters have already dispersed by then, with a few of them yelling "black cops" at officers. 
Police appear to be backing down for now. 


Elements mall calms, but all shops closed

Riot police have stopped and are searching a young man in Kwai Fong.


Young man searched

Scenes from the day at Sha Tin

Scenes from Tsing Yi

In Kwai Fong, a member of the riot squad dashs towards residents who have been heckling them and raises his baton but is pulled back by his fellow officers.
A few protesters and onlookers are yelling at police from about 10 metres away.
Officers also warn them they are being filmed by a police cameraman.  A few officers are in plain clothes but wearing helmets and carrying batons.



Tensions high in Kwai Fong

A resident of Tsing Yi, who only gives his surname as Yu, says he does not understand why the MTR station is shut.
"We saw police just sitting around inside the station and tapping on their phones. That made me wonder where did all the money from taxpayers go," says Yu, a fresh college graduate.
He came to the site with his mother when they heard that a crowd was gathering on the scene, but they say they have not noticed any major disruption since 5.30pm. 
"There's no development here," he says, adding that there was some smoke from people who had set off fire extinguishers. 
He says his neighbourhood is usually a "very, very peaceful place", and such gatherings are rare. 


'Where did taxpayers' money go?'

This sushi shop at exit A of Kwai Fong station has just pulled down its shutters. Riot police are walking to the back of the station.



Shutters coming down

Protesters have spray-painted the term "the Party's subway" many times on a footbridge outside exit A of Tsing Yi MTR station, in reference to the Chinese Communist Party and the city's rail giant, which critics have accused of bowing to Beijing. 



'The Party's subway'

The government says Sha Tin Town Hall is closed due to "special circumstances". More cultural and leisure facilities in Sha Tin and any other affected districts may also close early and at short notice to ensure the safety of users, it warns.


Sha Tin Town Hall closed

In Sha Tin, protesters apparently retreated towards Christ College, a secondary school in Pok Hong Estate, and changed their clothes before leaving.
Riot police arrived at the nearby Sha Tin Wai MTR station at about 6.50pm, but protesters had gone. 
Police checked the station and then left.


No sign of protesters in Sha Tin

John, 40, an Israeli who lives above Elements mall at Kowloon station and who has been in Hong Kong for seven years, says he will move to Singapore because the Israeli jewellery company he works for here is relocating to the Lion City. 
He cites a jewellery exhibition in Hong Kong which was closed today and how customers and exhibitors have been affected by the ongoing political crisis. 
"The government is not resolving the issues and the chief executive has not resigned. This is damaging to our business and the city's international reputation."


Jewellery woes

A clear night and sunset were interrupted for people as police went into Sha Tin Park to chase after protesters, according to a jogger.
The man, who only gave his name as Sam, was running along the riverside just as protesters made their escape across a bridge there.   
“Police came marching in after them and had their shields up and were showing a flag that said they are clearing the area," Sam says.  
"Some people, like the elderly and a few foreigners, didn’t know where to go, or how to evacuate. They were frightened.”
He says he stopped his run to move to the side and help others.


Pleasant evening interrupted 

A small group has vandalised Kwai Fong station and set off a fire extinguisher, resulting in about 20 riot police emerging from the station.
Protesters rushed to the steps of the shopping mall opposite, where they are now chanting slogans. 
The station has now been shut and trains on the Tsuen Wan line will not stop there, the MTR announced.



Kwai Fong station closing after trouble

North Lantau shuttle bus routes S1, S52, S52A, S56, S64 are suspended. New Territories routes 47A, 47X, 48X, 49X, 72, 80K, 80M, 81, 81K, 83K, 85K, 86, 86K, 88, 88X, 88K, 89, 89X, 170, 263, 280X, 282, 283, 284, 288, 249X, 798, W3 are diverted or cut short, while cross-harbour route 170 and North Lantau routes A41, E11, E11A, E21, E22, E22A, E23, E23A, E32, E33, E33P, E34A, E34B, E41, E42 have also been diverted. GMB routes 28K, 68K, 814, 60K, 62K, 69K, 65A, 67K, 67A, 810 are diverted.


Bus routes affected

At about 7pm, stand-offs between police and protesters in Sha Tin and Tsing Yi had died down. Yuen Wo Road, which was the scene of clashes and a fire, has also reopened, but the town hall and recreational facilities are closed.
Over in Kwai Fong, where the action is now based, some protesters left via the MTR station before it closed, but there was a confrontation with police after a young man was chased down and searched by officers. Protesters spray-painted roads outside Metroplaza before retreating into the mall. Others broke through MTR turnstiles. The station also faced vandalism after protesters set off a fire extinguisher. 
The Airport Express is running at 10-minute intervals between the airport and Hong Kong station, bypassing Tsing Yi and Kowloon. Trains are also not stopping at AsiaWorld-Expo. In-town check-in services at Kowloon station are suspended, with an earlier stand-off between protesters and police dying down after officers charged and demonstrators dispersed into the posh Elements mall. Shops there have closed. 
Tung Chung line trains are not stopping at Tsing Yi and Kowloon stations, while Sha Tin station remains closed due to earlier damage of facilities. Kwai Fong station is the latest to be closed, bringing the tally of MTR shutdowns to four. 


An overview

In Sha Tin, clean-up activities are under way at New Town Plaza, which was taken over by protesters earlier in the day. Staff have cordoned off areas with the heaviest damage and are sweeping up glass shards and equipment wreckage. 
Teams of cleaners are mopping the floor of the mall, which is soaked in oil and soap. 

