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SCMP Reporters

Sudden anti-government protests erupted across Hong Kong on Sunday, marking the 19th straight weekend of unrest amid a political crisis that has been dragging on for more than four months. 
Protesters vandalised targeted shops and threw objects onto railway tracks at one station, continuing their violent campaign against the MTR Corporation. They also heeded online calls to take their cause to shopping centres in different districts, targeting businesses with mainland Chinese ties.
Police moved in swiftly to restore order.
Our blog below captured events as they unfolded. Reporting by Simone McCarthy, Elizabeth Cheung, Fiona Sun and Jeffie Lam.


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Hong Kong protests

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Photo: Felix Wong

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Demonstrators in front of the closed Fashion Walk mall in Causeway Bay. Photo: Bloomberg

Demonstrators march outside a closed shopping mall during a protest at Causeway Bay district in Hong Kong, China, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019. Hong Kong police used a water cannon, rubber bullets and tear gas on protesters who set a train station entrance on fire and hurled petrol bombs as they tried to march on the government offices in the city center. Photographer: Kyle Lam/Bloomberg

Demonstrators and pedestrians sit outside a shuttered entrance to Hysan Place shopping mall, operated by Hysan Development Co., during a protest in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019. Police shot tear gas volleys at protesters as simultaneous rallies raged across Hong Kong, including a march through the city center, hours after celebrations for a holiday marking 70 years of Communist rule in China began in Beijing. Photographer: Kyle Lam/Bloomberg

Pedestrians walk past riot police in front of a Gucci luxury goods store, operated by Kering SA, during a protest in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong, China, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019. Hong Kong protesters defied police and marched through the city amid repeated volleys of tear gas, while at least one train station was vandalized with objects set on fire and windows broken. Photographer: Chan Long Hei/Bloomberg

Shops in Landmark remain closed as anti-government protesters take on the streets from Causeway Bay to Central. 06OCT19 SCMP / May Tse

Sogo department store in Causeway Bay closes early as companies fear of flashmob protests appearing in the area due to recent months on civil unrest. 07OCT19 SCMP / Felix Wong

A sign informing customers that the store is closed stands at an entrance to Lane Crawford’s store in Times Square, Causeway Bay, during an anti-government protest at the mall. Photo: Bloomberg

News

Hong Kong

Politics


Hotspots in Mong Kok, Tseung Kwan O, Tsuen Wan, Kowloon Bay and Tai Po, with protesters resorting to familiar pattern of targeting shops with mainland ties
Stand-offs with police resulted in arrests and tear gas fired



Hotspots in Mong Kok, Tseung Kwan O, Tsuen Wan, Kowloon Bay and Tai Po, with protesters resorting to familiar pattern of targeting shops with mainland ties.


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At Telford Plaza in Kowloon Bay, protesters are now running through the mall and conducting flash attacks on targeted shops. They have smashed the display at China Mobile, which swiftly closed, as well as surrounded a Genki Sushi outlet and spray painted a temporary construction wall outside the restaurant. 
Over in Sha Tin, the MTR Corporation has lowered it gates to one entrance after items were reportedly thrown on the rails. The station is not yet officially closed. 



Flash attacks on shops, MTR disruption

Protesters at New Town Plaza
  Video: SCMP/Elizabeth Cheung pic.twitter.com/F10lvapn1D
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 13, 2019


Hundreds at New Town Plaza in Sha Tin

A blue warning flag has been raised in Tai Po as police warn the crowd gathering outside Tai Po Mega Mall that they are participating in an unlawful assembly. More riot officers have arrived on the scene. A Form Four student and middle-aged man were earlier subdued by police.
Meanwhile, Citylink Plaza, a mall above Sha Tin MTR station, is closing. 


Police issue warning in Tai Po, Sha Tin mall closes

Riot police clear the intersection of Argyle Street and Nathan Road
  Video: SCMP/Fiona Sun pic.twitter.com/qhc4j5w8AJ
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 13, 2019


Police clear roads in Mong Kok

As a police van advances up Choi Ha Road, protesters who have been spray-painting the front of a Bank of China branch in Kowloon Bay run into Choi Hei Road Park for cover. Some have gone into the park toilets to change into civilian wear and discard their masks and signature black outfits, while others run up a flight of stairs to a housing complex. 
One protester, a woman in her 20s who does not want to be named, says: "Although what we are doing now is not very efficient, we are not going to give up and stop our fight for democracy.
"The government is trying to use the emergency law to scare people and make the public too scared to go for protests again, but we won’t be scared, we will still come out."



Protesters scatter in Kowloon Bay

Scores of mostly black-clad protesters are also staging protests in Cityplaza mall in Tai Koo. They have forced open the shutters of Starbucks, operated by the Beijing-friendly Maxim's group in Hong Kong, and spray-painted its walls and tables with profanities.
Annie Wu, the daughter of the group's founder James Wu, sparked anger among protesters after she spoke up against the movement at a UN meeting earlier. 


Tai Koo mall, Starbucks hit by protests

MTR has closed one of its gates at Tseung Kwan O station connecting to Popcorn mall after demonstrators were seen in the area. Dozens of riot police are standing by outside the station. 
In Tuen Mun, a group of protesters have smashed surveillance cameras at a light rail station and vandalised facilities there. 
Meanwhile, these light rail services are suspended: 761P, 751, 705 and 706.


MTR closing some mall gates, light rail services suspended

Scenes from New Town Plaza in Sha Tin

Police have arrested several protesters outside Tai Po Mega Mall, while in Tuen Mun, at least two suspects have been detained. 
The action in Sha Tin has shifted to a road outside the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, as a group of protesters removes roadside fences to set up a barricade. 


Police make arrests in Tai Po, Tuen Mun

Over in Tsim Sha Tsui, demonstrations have so far been peaceful, with people placing paper cranes on the grass near the promenade. Others set up homemade placards with slogans such as "Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times", while another group glues paper cranes to railings along the Avenue of Stars, a popular tourist spot. 






Paper cranes in Tsim Sha Tsui

The MTR Corp has announced the suspension of its entire light rail network after tracks at multiple locations were vandalised. 
The rail giant has also shut down Kwun Tong station, saying it is for the safety of passengers and staff. At APM, a mall linked to the station, protesters have spray-painted slogans such as "Hongkongers, resist" on the floor. 
Sha Tin Wai station has also closed. 


Entire light rail network shuts down, two stations close

Protesters in Sha Tin remove fences and build a roadblock outside the Hong Kong Heritage Museum
  Video: SCMP/Elizabeth Cheung pic.twitter.com/yVc8KBxrnN
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 13, 2019


Barricades in Sha Tin

People fold paper cranes at Tsim Sha Tsui, where demonstrations are so far peaceful
  Video: SCMP/Kristin Huang pic.twitter.com/IRQOpRl8ta
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 13, 2019


Folding cranes in Tsim Sha Tsui

In Yau Ma Tei, although there are no protesters, about 50 riot officers are standing guard at the junction of Nathan Road and Waterloo Road. Nearby residents heckle police, shouting slurs and slogans against the force. 
The strategy used by small groups of protesters in Mong Kok so far has been flash mob-style roadblocks, and then scattering when police arrive. 
Photos by May Tse.




Police on standby in Yau Ma Tei

At least three rounds of tear gas have been reportedly fired near the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Sha Tin, as about 100 protesters clash with riot police. 
Photos by Felix Wong. 




Tear gas fired near heritage museum

Police have used pepper spray on protesters in Mong Kok as they urge people to leave. A blue flag warning of illegal assembly is raised by officers at the junction of Nathan Road and Dundas Street. One person shouts: "I have done nothing, why would you spray me?"
A middle-aged man is seen being subdued to the ground by police (bottom pic), who also drive reporters away by pointing pepper sprays at them. The man is taken into a police van. 




Tensions flare in Mong Kok

A man in white got into a shouting match with police who had been called to Cityplaza. He is surrounded by officers at the junction of Tai Mou Avenue and Tai Koo Wan Road. 

He runs off and officers chase him down, pinning him to the ground near the entrance of a multi-storey car park as residents gather and shout at police to get lost. It is unclear why the man was pursued, but posts on social media say he was holding a knife. Officers later escort him away as crowds along the street heckle them. 




Man detained in Tai Koo

Here are some pictures of the damage left behind by small groups of rampaging protesters across Hong Kong. 
Glass panels at FL Fusion restaurant in Sha Tin are smashed. Photo: Felix Wong

A Starbucks outlet along Taikoo Wan Road had its glass display spray-painted with vulgarities while inside, protesters have also painted slogans. Photo: Lynn Lee

In New Town Plaza in Sha Tin, protesters have trashed the interior of Starbucks and Simplylife outlets, both under the Maxim's group. 


In the same mall, the glass display of a Lenovo store has also been smashed, while a Huawei outlet was broken into and trashed. 




Scenes of vandalism

Masked black-clad protesters have broken into the Siu Lun government complex in Tuen Mun, vandalising its entrance. The building was closed but they forced open its shutters. 


Tuen Mun government complex vandalised

Scenes along Nathan Road

The force has said that protesters have been gathering at multiple locations citywide since this afternoon. Their violent acts escalated soon after, and gangs of masked "rioters" blocked major roads, as well as vandalised shops and public facilities, including MTR stations, according to police. Acts of violence and criminal damage were observed in both Sha Tin and Tsuen Wan. 
Police say they have used minimum force to disperse protesters, including the deployment of tear gas. They warn protesters to stop their illegal acts immediately. 


Police call for 'rioters' to stop

At New Town Plaza, one of the several shops vandalised was Best Mart 360. Here are some pictures showing the store interior trashed, with products strewn all over the floor. 


Chiuchow Garden, a Chinese restaurant at the mall under the Maxim's group, also suffered the same fate. 




More of the aftermath in Sha Tin mall

A group of black-clad protesters are setting up barricades on Tai Wo Road in Tai Po with metal railings and minibus stop signs. Earlier, the black flag warning for tear gas was raised by police amid a stand-off. Protesters have also opened their umbrellas, bracing for projectiles fired by officers. 
At Yue Man Square near the closed Kwun Tong MTR station, protesters are also building roadblocks. There is no police presence there. 
Inside Popcorn mall in Tseung Kwan O, where some shops have been vandalised, riot police are seen pinning down two protesters to the floor.


Barricades up in Tai Po, Kwun Tong, take-downs in Tseung Kwan O

Karen Yuen, a 19-year-old student who was at a cafe nearby when protesters were smashing Huawei and two other neighbouring shops in New Town Plaza in Sha Tin, says she was a bit shocked when she heard the ruckus but did not feel afraid. 
"Their targets are not us, but the stores," Yuen says. "In past protests, they were very peaceful and didn't damage any shops, but still the government did not respond. Vandalising shops may be a way now for them to get wider attention from society."

Meanwhile, some protesters are still seated at the atrium of the mall. They have hung long rolls of paper across the area from various levels of the complex. These do not appear to be tissue rolls, and it is unclear where they got the paper from. In earlier incidents, protesters have generated long rolls of table reservation receipts and hung them from upper floors in a similar manner. 



'Their targets are not us, but the stores'

At Tsuen Wan’s commercial Tai Ho Road, dozens of radical protesters are gathering bricks from the sidewalk and carrying them in metal trash cans to an overpass from where they plan to battle police. Many more of their peers are providing cover for them with umbrellas.
Several lanes of traffic have been blocked by previously set up barricades at a major intersection, and motorists are sounding their horns.
On the sidelines, a couple who say they were hit with a substance fired by police had visible red marks on their faces and necks, and are receiving treatment from volunteer medics.
"It was like we were in a war zone, everyone dropped to the ground," the woman, surnamed Cheuk, 26, says, describing how police had fired the substance towards the overpass where protesters have gathered, as they were walking by.
"We were just here shopping because we live in the neighborhood - it was scary," she says.



Bricks gathered in Tsuen Wan for showdown with police

A police officer pulls out his pistol outside New Town Plaza in Sha Tin
  Video: SCMP/Mantai Chow pic.twitter.com/LoO0nBy5jB
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 13, 2019
In Sha Tin, protesters have set up barricades on Yuen Wo Road, bringing traffic to a standstill. They have also dug up bricks from the ground and placed these all over the road. 


Officer draws gun in confrontation; Sha Tin traffic standstill

Dozens of protesters, many masked, disperse from APM mall in Kwun Tong after residents warn them that police are arriving. The mall has announced it will shut down soon, with most shops already closed. 



Protesters flee from APM mall 

A masked black-clad protester with goggles, who only identified himself as Logan was one of those who vandalised shops in New Town Plaza in Sha Tin. 
"It was a way for us to express anger," the 16-year-old student says, adding that he is angry at the businesses for "selling out Hongkongers". 
He says he does not expect to achieve anything through such acts, and has considered that this could lead to opposition from the public towards protesters. 
But he insists: "We don't have any burden any more, therefore we don't need to care much."


'A way to express anger'

Protesters have smashed the turnstiles at Sha Tin MTR station, while staff members scramble to bring down the shutters. The station is now closed, bringing the total number of stations out of service today to six. 


Sha Tin MTR station closes amid vandalism

Mong Kok pharmacy worker Sum, who only gave his surname, says he has served only a few customers today. "Our business has suffered a lot in the past four months. We have seen fewer customers, both local and foreign."
He says despite the lagging business, he has to stay at the store until his shift ends at 6pm because his boss opens the shop daily to meet the high rent. He adds that he has heard some shops in Tsim Sha Tsui have already been forced out of business as they could not keep up with rents amid the protest unrest. 
Regarding the political crisis gripping the city, Sum says both sides have their rights and wrongs. 


'Business suffering'

Protesters in Tsuen Wan take sports equipment from Sha Tsui Road Playground to block roads at Tsuen Wan Tai Ho intersection
  Video: SCMP/Simone McCarthy pic.twitter.com/IqqcbyJNoF
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 13, 2019


Shifting goalposts

Firefighters have arrived at New Town Plaza, where smoke was earlier seen. The cause of it is unclear. 




Fire in Sha Tin mall?

Over in Kwun Tong, where protesters fled APM mall after receiving word of officers arriving, police have used pepper spray on people in heated confrontations after several demonstrators are arrested. 


Arrests in APM mall, Kwun Tong

Kwai Hing MTR station is the latest to close, bringing the total number of MTR stations now shut to seven. The other stops out of service are Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan, Sha Tin, Sha Tin Wai, City One and Tsuen Wan West.
The Airport Express only takes passengers between Hong Kong station and the airport, with services at all other stops suspended. 


Kwai Hing station closes, bringing tally to seven

Lights from emergency vehicles can be seen in the distance on Tai Ho Road as protesters hurriedly establish a perimeter at a junction in front of Tsuen Wan’s Citywalk mall. Blockades are now set up on Sha Tsui Road, where traffic has been brought to a standstill, and buses are doing three-point turns to divert. 
Many masked protesters are lining the pedestrian overpass to keep watch for the smaller crew below who are dismantling railings and moving street and sports equipment, as well as using orange tape and tubes to make more blockades.



Roadblock operation by protesters in Tsuen Wan

A police source says the force has adopted a new strategy today by deploying plain-clothes officers at shops often targeted by protesters. Some of these officers arrested seven protesters who vandalised the Best Mart 360 branch at Metroplaza in Kwai Fong around 3pm.
"We want to impose some deterrent effects by making arrests with officers ambushing them at the shops," he says. The source adds that the force has also made their deployment more flexible recently to cope with the more extensive protests across the city.
"We may deploy a company of more than 100 [Police Tactical Unit] officers to a scene in the past, but now we would send maybe just a platoon of about 30 officers each time instead, depending on the scale of the protest at the time," he says.


New police ambush strategy at shops

Crowds cheer as protesters destroy traffic lights on Dundas Street in Mong Kok
  Video: SCMP/Fiona Sun pic.twitter.com/jgHQEyZYzB
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 13, 2019


Traffic light bashing

Kwai Fong and Tseung Kwan O MTR stations are now closed, bringing the total count to nine stops out of service. 


Kwai Fong, Tseung Kwan O MTR stations close

The Tai Po government offices, including the office of pro-establishment lawmaker Eunice Yung Hoi-yan in the same area have been vandalised by a flash mob. 
The roller gate of the government complex has been smashed out of shape, with glass doors inside shattered. A water system next to the government offices is also broken. 
After the rampage, protesters targeted a Bank of China branch on Kwong Fuk Road, as well as a Best Mart 360 outlet. 



Tai Po rampage targets include government and lawmaker's offices

A video circulating online shows protesters in Mong Kok attack a police officer and try to grab his gun as he attempts to arrest one pic.twitter.com/KRaVArd2NS
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 13, 2019


Officer attacked while trying to make arrest

A massive police force has swept into Tsuen Wan with a fleet of vehicles and about 100 riot officers, who are kicking down blockades and shining powerful torches at residents heckling them. 
Protesters scatter as police move in to take control of a footbridge where many had gathered. 
One resident, Winnie, 21, says she was out for a haircut and called the police presence "disruptive". 
"Police scare the people living here. There are many children and families going out for dinner now," she adds, noting that the protesters have been considerate to residents even as they blocked roads earlier, and it is police who are hostile. 


Massive police presence in Tsuen Wan

A police source says a sergeant was slashed in the neck by a protester at APM mall in Kwun Tong. The officer was bleeding profusely when he was sent to hospital. The force will make an announcement on Facebook soon. 


Officer slashed in the neck

A Bank of China branch in Tsuen Wan has been set on fire while a traffic light box on Yuen Wo Road in Sha Tin has also been lit. 
Firefighters later arrive to put out the flames. 

 
Fire engines arrive after a Bank of China branch was set on fire
  Video: SCMP/Simone McCarthy pic.twitter.com/BVV80LkRep
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 13, 2019


Fires started in Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin

Police have confirmed that an officer was slashed in the neck from behind by protesters during a confrontation at Kwun Tong MTR station. He was sent conscious to United Christian Hospital. Two suspects have been arrested at the scene. 


Police confirm attack on officer, two arrested

A journalist was surrounded after claims that she was taking pictures of protesters' faces. A liquid was splashed on her face.


Journalist surrounded, accused of photographing faces

Protesters have started leaving Tsim Sha Tsui after forming a human chain along the Avenue of Stars on the waterfront. Hundreds of paper cranes remain.





Protesters starting to leave Tsim Sha Tsui

Protesters have vandalised what appears to be an unmarked police car in Mong Kok. The unattended vehicle was parked on Dundas Street.
Protesters removed various items from the car including plastic evidence bags and folders marked with police identification bureau logos. The items were left on the roadside. 
Riot police arrived soon after.




Car containing police items vandalised

Police have piled back into their vans and left the scene in Tsuen Wan, where they broke up a crowd of protesters who were building barricades at the intersection of Sha Tsui and Tai Ho roads by Citywalk mall.
Protesters fled after building make-shift barricades and setting fire to a Bank of China branch on Sha Tsui Road.
After removing barricades and sweeping the area, police left to jeers from residents. 
The area is now quiet but traffic is still blocked in one direction on Sha Tsui Road, as some roadblocks remain.



Police leave scene in Tsuen Wan after protesters flee

Protesters in Tseung Kwan O have attacked a man dressed in a black T-shirt, leaving him with blood pouring from a head wound. The incident occurred outside Popcorn shopping centre.
They reportedly suspected him to be an undercover police officer.
Protesters later removed several items from the man, including a retractable baton of the type used by police.
At about 7.45pm, riot police arrived and dispersed people and journalists around the man.
Riot police later cordoned off an area in an attempt to retrieve the baton which had dumped into a drain


Man attacked in Tseung Kwan O

Earlier scenes at Bank of China branch in Tsuen Wan

A police officer earlier slashed in the neck is in a stable condition in hospital, a source says.
The officer, who was attacked in Kwun Tong with a box cutter, suffered a 3cm cut. The bleeding has stopped.
Two people were arrested over the incident.


Officer in stable condition after being slashed

The MTR says no trains on the Tsuen Wan line will stop at the following stations: Prince Edward, Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei, Jordan and Tsim Sha Tsui.
Trains on the Kwun Tong line will not stop at Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok and Prince Edward stations.


Trains not stopping at various stations

Facebook video of attack on officer

In Mong Kok, Tom Wong, 17, a Form Six student, says he came to protest against perceived police brutality. "We know police come here to arrest people randomly. Those at San Uk Ling Holding Centre have also been attacked."
The Mong Kok resident says he has not told his parents about his participation in protests, and is currently busy with his studies. 
"I have exams coming, but I will still go out to protest for as long as I can."


'Exams coming, but I will still protest'

Live feeds online earlier showed a suspect thought to be a doctor being arrested amid protests at PopCorn mall in Tseung Kwan O.  
The Hospital Authority later confirmed that a doctor surnamed Cheung from Tseung Kwan O Hospital was arrested today, but did not specify the circumstances of the case.


Hospital Authority confirms doctor's arrest

On Nathan Road near Fife Street in Mong Kok, a loud explosion was heard earlier. A suspected circuit board and some fragments of plastic tubes were seen at the site, with the smell of burnt plastic in the air. 
A man in the area said the explosion was so loud that he heard it from Shantung Street. 


Explosion heard in Mong Kok

Here are the latest MTR stations to close amid protests and vandalism: Wong Tai Sin, Tiu Keng Leng, Tseung Kwan O, Hang Hau, Po Lam, LOHAS Park, Sham Shui Po, Cheung Sha Wan, Lai Chi Kok and Tai Wo Hau.
This means 27 out of 94 stations on the MTR network are out of service. An earlier announcement by the operator said all services will end by 10pm. 


10 more MTR stations down, bringing total to 27

More than a hundred gather at the intersection of Nathan Road and Mong Kok Road, where protesters have blocked traffic using metal pipesVideo: SCMP/Fiona Sun pic.twitter.com/6XlhSFOPGJ
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 13, 2019


Stand-off in Mong Kok

Police have said in a statement: "At around 5.30pm today, an officer attending to a case of criminal damage at Kwun Tong MTR station was wounded. One rioter used a sharp-edged object to slash the officer’s neck from behind. The injured officer, in a conscious state, was sent to United Christian Hospital for medical treatment. Police have immediately arrested two persons at the scene.
"The sharp-edged object is a deadly weapon. Police will strive to investigate all violent acts."
