Anti-government protesters rampage through Hong Kong as police struggle to keep up
- Activists target shopping centres and MTR stations in series of quick strikes as officers fire tear gas and rubber bullets
- Chinese flag desecrated and several fires started as clashes carry over from previous day
Anti-government protesters went on an escalated rampage across Hong Kong on Sunday, taking over shopping centres where they targeted mainland Chinese-linked businesses and vandalised shop fronts, trashing metro stations, blocking roads, hurling bricks and petrol bombs at police, setting fire to barricades and desecrating China’s national flag.
Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at them and made several arrests, but diehard activists mostly stayed one step ahead of them, descending on one location and swiftly retreating to strike at the next, as the city marked the 16th straight weekend of protest chaos.
The protesters had planned to cripple the city’s international airport by blocking access routes, but were thwarted by a heavy police deployment along road and rail approaches.
The Airport Express train service would only take passengers with flight tickets from Hong Kong station directly to the airport, skipping stations in between to avoid protesters.
Police also set up a cordon at a toll plaza leading to Tung Chung, stopped vehicles for inspection, and boarded buses to check passengers.
Protesters vented their frustrations yet again on MTR stations, vandalising the facilities and forcing four of them to shut down.
