Hong Kong protests: Two ‘critical’ as violent demonstrations escalate

Two people are in critical condition after another day of violent demonstrations in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong police shot and critically wounded a protester and a man was set on fire on Monday as the territory spiraled into violence, prompting a warning from a Chinese editor that the mainland People’s Liberation Army could step in at any time.

Protesters also threw petrol bombs at police on university campuses after a weekend of clashes at shopping malls across the territory, marking a dramatic escalation in more than five months of often violent pro-democracy unrest, Reuters said.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the “rioters” were destroying society and would not succeed in their demands with violence in the “special administrative region” (SAR) of China.

“If there’s still any wishful thinking that by escalating violence, the Hong Kong SAR government will yield to pressure, to satisfy the so-called political demands, I’m making this statement clear and loud here: that will not happen,” she said in one of her most defiant televised addresses.

Police fired tear gas in the narrow streets of the Central business district where some protesters, crouching behind umbrellas, blocked streets as office workers crowded the pavements and hurled anti-government abuse.

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Some passersby took cover inside the Landmark mall, one of the oldest and most expensive, as volley after volley of tear gas rained down.

There have been almost daily protests in Hong Kong, sometimes with no notice, but it was rare for tear gas to be fired during working hours in Central, lined with bank headquarters and top-brand shops at the foot of Victoria Peak. Some offices closed early and workers headed home.

China has a garrison of up to 12,000 troops in Hong Kong who have kept to barracks throughout the unrest, but it has vowed to crush any attempts at independence, a demand for a very small minority of protesters.

Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam said on Monday the violence that is roiling the former British colony has exceeded protesters’ demands for democracy and demonstrators are now the people’s enemy.

Lam was speaking hours after police shot a protester, a man was set alight and volleys of tear gas were fired at lunchtime in the heart of the financial center in some of the most dramatic scenes to grip the city during months of unrest.

_{What else happened on Monday?}

Most protests have taken place at weekends, but pro-democracy activists have called out all workers for a general strike on Monday.

Other incidents have included:

• At the Chinese University, police fired rubber bullets in response to protesters throwing bricks
• At Hong Kong Polytechnic, police fired tear gas at a demonstration
• Protesters used barricades to block roads in various places, leading to long traffic jams. MTR railway stations were also targeted
• Police say protesters dropped “large and heavy objects” on roads, endangering drivers
• In one video circulating online, a police motorcycle seems intentionally to ram into protesters

Police described the activists as “radical protesters”, conducting “extensive illegal acts” and urged them to stop any actions that threatened the safety and obstructed the police.

Several universities have cancelled their classes for the day, BBC reported.