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SCMP Reporters

Chaos and violence returned to Hong Kong at night after the city enjoyed a relatively calm Friday. 
Tear gas was fired in Mong Kok while the Tolo Highway was blocked again by obstacles thrown from a bridge near the Chinese University. Earlier in the day, the highway had partially reopened after being blocked for about 60 hours, as activists urged the government to guarantee that district council elections would go ahead on November 24 as planned.
The highway was shut down again at 7.30pm, after Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung said he could not agree to the protesters’ requests, and said they were making “threats against the public's welfare”. Cheung stressed the government’s determination to conduct the elections as scheduled has remained unchanged.
Our live blog below captured events as they unfolded. Reporting by Alvin Lum, Karen Zhang, Elizabeth Cheung, Chris Lau and Kimmy Chung


Hong Kong protests: how the four-day occupation of Chinese University ended

Firefighters battle a blaze at Chinese University but the protesters who have dug in for four days have left. Photo: Edmond So

Are Hong Kong’s universities becoming ‘weapons factories’ as claimed by police?

News

Hong Kong

Politics

Student protesters at PolyU practise throwing petrol bombs into an empty swimming pool. Photo: Winson Wong

Weapons making in the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong  15NOV19. SCMP/ Kathleen Magramo


Most protesters who had dug in to Sha Tin campus have changed and left while dozens of drivers appear to pick them up
Earlier protesters had partially reopened Tolo Highway in 'friendly gesture' before shutting it down again



Tear gas fired in Mong Kok as protesters block Nathan Road while huge fire rages near Chinese University. Earlier protesters had partially reopened Tolo Highway in 'friendly gesture' before shutting it down again.


Hong Kong protests

Universities in Hong Kong

Live

Protesters hurl petrol bombs onto the Tolo Highway, but the fire fails to burn. There is some speculation the active ingredients may have evaporated.



Petrol bombs thrown onto Tolo Highway, fail to catch fire

About 10 protesters have relocated to entrance of Chung Chi College of Chinese University, carrying boxes of supplies and petrol bombs.



Protesters relocate to another part of Chinese University

Protesters have once again deployed their new strategy of building small brick formations, reminiscent of a small stonehenge, on Nathan Road in Mong Kok. 
Dozens of riot police also appeared and tear gas was fired to disperse protesters.



Brick structures return to Mong Kok thoroughfare

Protesters have set a fire on Nathan Road. The have also stacked up wooden crates and bricks to set up roadblocks near Shantung Street.



Fires and roadblocks in Mong Kok

Protesters say a car at the other end of the bridge in Chinese University is set on fire, and urge others and the press to leave.
Three explosions are heard.


Three explosions heard at CUHK as car said to be on fire

The government has arranged a free ferry service between Wu Kai Sha pier and Tai Po Waterfront for people living and working in Tai Po and North District. The ferries will operate until 10.30pm on Friday and from 7am to 7pm on Saturday. 
Free coach services between designated points in Tai Po and Sheung Shui were also offered on Friday. A similar coach service within Tai Po would also continue on Saturday. 


Ferrying the stranded out of Tai Po

Tear gas was fired again on Nathan Road as dozens of riot police charge towards protesters near Shan Tung street.
Protesters retreated quickly.
 
Tear gas is fired on Nathan Road as dozens of riot police charge towards protesters near Shantung Street
  Video: SCMP/Karen Zhang pic.twitter.com/mthKpqLZlz
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) November 15, 2019


Tear gas fired again in Mong Kok

Explosions are heard at Chinese University, as protesters say a car at the other end of the bridge has been set on fire
  Video: SCMP/Alvin Lum pic.twitter.com/Jr4YfA7TFA
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) November 15, 2019


Explosions at Chinese University

Firefighters have arrived to put out the flames on a burning car near Chinese University, as the last batch of protesters leave the No 2 bridge at the campus. 


Firefighters arrive at scene of burning car

The view from the ground in Mong Kok

The heads of Hong Kong’s nine universities have issued a statement, calling for the government to resolve a political deadlock that is out of the hands of tertiary institutions. 
The statement says no political viewpoint would give anyone “a licence to damage property, employ physical threats, or use violence against individuals”, and that it was regrettable that the current social crisis has landed in the court of the universities, turning them into battlefields. 
“However, any demand that universities can simply fix the problem is disconnected from reality,” it says. “These complicated and challenging situations neither originate from the universities, nor can they be resolved through university disciplinary processes,” it adds.
The statement says the government’s response has so far not been effective. “The government must take the lead with swift and concrete action to resolve this political deadlock and to restore safety and public order now,” the nine chiefs urge.
The heads and their universities are:

Way Kou, president, City University
Roland Chin, president and vice-chancellor, Baptist University
Leonard Cheng Kwok-hon, president, Lingnan University
Rocky Tuan Sung-chi, president and vice-chancellor, Chinese University
Stephen Cheung Yan-leung, president, Education University 
Teng Jin-guang, president, Polytechnic University
Wei Shyy, president, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Wong Yuk-shan, president, Open University 
Zhang Xiang, president and vice-chancellor, University of Hong Kong



Nine university heads pile pressure on government to solve crisis

Scenes near Chinese University

Most protesters are leaving the No 2 bridge of Chinese University, which they have defended for days. They are retreating out of the campus from two main exits, ending the four-day occupation of the university. 


Campus retreat at Chinese University

A first aid volunteer, surnamed Cheung, 30, says he was pepper-sprayed on his back by riot police on Pitt Street near Nathan Road, when he came close to them as they were making arrests.
“I saw a man in black being pushed against a wall by police. They [looked like] they wanted to apply more force, so I came to check and got sprayed several times.”
He shows his backpack, which is stained with pepper spray. “My neck feels like its burning. This feels much stickier than the type police used previously,” Cheung says. 
Another first aider collects a sample from Cheung, planning to have it tested. 
Police have arrested at least three men and one woman in the area, according to first aid volunteers and other witnesses. 



First aid volunteer says he was pepper-sprayed by police

Most protesters at Chinese University have changed clothes and left the campus. Some hitched rides from dozens of drivers who drove up to exits.
  Video: SCMP/Alvin Lum pic.twitter.com/h7JDujj4FI
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) November 15, 2019


Drivers pick up Chinese University protesters

Police have condemned protesters for paralysing the transport network on Friday evening. 
“Rioters blatantly disregarded public concern by blocking major roads during the rush hour,” the force states. It also appeals to Chinese University to “keep its promise” and help “restore social stability and road safety”. 


Police condemn protesters, appeal to Chinese University to restore order

Some Chinese University protesters, who have left their campus in Sha Tin, say they are heading to Polytechnic University in Hung Hom, where students have also occupied the campus and crippled the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, a major link between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. 
Another small group say they will head to other districts in the city. It is unclear what they intend to do. 


Chinese University protesters head to PolyU, other districts

After police leave Nathan Road at around 10pm, hundreds of protesters begin to build barricades near Shantung Street, which was earlier cleared by officers.
They are fortifying barriers with bricks and fences to make it hard for water cannon trucks and armoured vehicles to pass, according to one protester. 
A secondary school teacher, who is masked and at the scene but refuses to give his name, says he is a Hongkonger but came from Britain. He is laying bricks with other protesters. 
“I came out in mid-August to support the five demands,” he says. “I’m not against setting up blockades or petrol bombs as long as they don’t injure anyone.”



Hundreds of protesters in Mong Kok return after police clearance

A fire was lit from a pile of bamboo on Nathan road. Protesters fed the blaze with plants and cardboard boxes. Some shouted: “Don’t throw plastics in the fire!”
  Video: SCMP/Karen Zhang pic.twitter.com/E3d0URzdH9
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) November 15, 2019


Road fire in Mong Kok

Most protesters have left Chinese University. At the entrance to Chung Chi College on the campus, 17 boxes of petrol bombs are on the ground, seemingly abandoned. 



17 boxes of petrol bombs abandoned at Chinese University

Explosions occur thrice at the fire in Mong Kok that protesters have started on the road. It is not known what caused the flare-ups. No one appears injured. 
Some in the crowd shout that police water cannons are coming.



Explosions in Mong Kok fire

Firefighters extinguish the fire on Nathan road after a third explosion is heard from the flames.
  Video: SCMP/Karen Zhang pic.twitter.com/Z4JGga03jJ
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) November 15, 2019


Firefighters put out flames on road in Mong Kok

A large amount of supplies has been left behind at Chinese University after protesters retreated. At least two rooms are stocked high with water, food, medicine and spare clothes. 
Some drivers who earlier showed up to ferry protesters are also trying to collect the items for future demonstrations. 




Leftovers at Chinese University 

As of 10pm on Friday, 14 people have been injured amid the protests and sent to public hospitals for treatment. Among them, one man is in critical condition at Tuen Mun Hospital. Sources say the man, who is about 30, suffered a non-life-threatening head injury after being hit by bricks. Others include seven people in stable condition, with five discharged and one whose status is unclear. 


14 people sent to hospitals, one critical with head injury from ‘brick hit’

Scenes from earlier in Mong Kok

At No 2 Bridge at Chinese University, the charred van which earlier exploded and caught fire sits, with a strong smell of diesel in the air. Some smashed petrol bomb bottles are on the ground next to the burnt vehicle. There are also at least four cans of thinner, with five to six petrol bomb bottles nearby. 
Debris is strewn all around the area, and the closed Tolo Highway below remains littered with bricks and barricades. 
A drone buzzes overhead. It is unclear who is operating it. 

 
The scene at the No 2 Bridge at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
  Video: SCMP/Alvin Lum pic.twitter.com/eUNic5bEYY
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) November 15, 2019


Aftermath at Tolo Highway

The MTR Corporation has said services will end at 10pm on Saturday. Three stations - University, Sheung Shui and Tung Chung - will remain closed.
The rail giant says University station is closed “due to severe damage”, and a train there was previously set on fire, seriously damaging it. “After a careful risk assessment, it is expected to take a longer time to plan and to carry out necessary repair works,” the company says. 
The East Rail line will only operate between Hung Hom and Fo Tan, and Tai Po Market and Lo Wu. Two free shuttle bus routes will run between Tai Po Market and Kam Sheung Road stations, and between Tung Chung and Sunny Bay stations.


MTR service update for Saturday

On Nathan Road in Mong Kok, protesters are extending the blockade to Mong Kok Road. Some of them enter a construction site to get materials including ropes and steel bars. 
A protester spray-paints a message on a wooden board: “When the system is changed, I will love China.”



‘When the system is changed, I will love China’ 

In Mong Kok, a Best Mart 360 shop has been smashed, with products from its shelves tossed all over the pavement of Portland Street. This is part of an ongoing campaign of vandalism by protesters against businesses thought to have links to mainland China. 
In an earlier statement, Best Mart 360 said multiple branches had been severely damaged in protesters’ escalating actions targeting the company. The company reiterated that its management was not related to “Fujian gangs” or “triads” as some rumours said online, and apologised for inconvenience to customers.

 
A Best Mart 360 shop in Mong Kok is trashed.
  Video: SCMP/Karen Zhang pic.twitter.com/OBYuhuyFhE
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) November 15, 2019


Best Mart 360 store targeted again

With the unrest in Mong Kok taking on a familiar pattern of a cat-and-mouse game as protesters flee from police only to return later and resume their roadblocks, we are now closing our live blog. Please check out our wrap of the day’s events HERE. 
