Hong Kong in lockdown mode before mass illegal protests as defiant demonstrators aim to embarrass Beijing on National Day
- Police deploying about 6,000 officers, as multiple building managements across city take steps to protect premises and hunker down for violence
- Protesters declare day of mourning and plan demonstrations from city centre to Sha Tin, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin, Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun
Hong Kong is going into lockdown mode on Tuesday to cope with citywide illegal rallies and a slew of activities planned by defiant protesters aiming to pull out all the stops to embarrass Beijing on the 70th anniversary of the republic’s founding.
Police are deploying about 6,000 officers, as they warned of “very, very dangerous” plans by protesters and described their actions over the weekend as being “one step closer to terrorism”, echoing a reference used by Beijing authorities earlier.
Across the city, scores of major shopping malls announced on Monday night they were shuttering their premises while others warned they would do so if the situation became too chaotic.
Several major skyscrapers and office buildings in the core business district had extra walls and coverings erected to thwart vandals while additional fences were installed at the already heavily-barricaded government headquarters.
On Monday, workers covered the lower part of the outer wall of the 68-year-old Bank of China Building in Central with a layer of thin plastic film while at the Cosco Tower in Sheung Wan, outdoor objects including the tower’s signage and garbage bins that could be used by protesters as weapons were removed.
At a police briefing on Monday, Chief Superintendent John Tse Chun-chung, of the force’s public relations branch said: “With the increase in the intensity and extent of violence over the past three months, there are apparent signs that hard-core violence will escalate in the near future. All acts are one step closer to terrorism.”