Young Hong Kong protester shot with live round as violence spreads

[snoop1130]

Young Hong Kong protester shot with live round as violence spreads

By Jessie Pang, Donny Kwok

 

An anti-government protester shelters with a traffic sign during a demonstration in Sha Tin district, on China's National Day in Hong Kong, China October 1, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

 

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong police fired tear gas and water cannon at petrol-bomb throwing protesters and shot a young demonstrator with a live round, as the city’s Chinese rulers celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic.

 

Cat-and-mouse clashes spread from the upmarket district of Causeway Bay to the Admiralty area that is home to government offices on Hong Kong island, with police vans chasing down pro-democracy protesters in the key drag of Hennessy Road.

 

Thousands of black-clad protesters, some wearing Guy Fawkes masks, marched on Admiralty, defying a police ban. Violence escalated across the harbor to Kowloon and beyond to the New Territories in the most widespread unrest in nearly four months.

 

“There are rioting acts across Kowloon, Hong Kong island and the New Territories,” police said in a statement.

 

An 18-year-old man was shot in the shoulder with a live round in the Tsuen Wan area, police said. They did not give more details. The South China Morning Post and television reports had earlier reported a protester was shot at close range in the chest.

 

Video footage of a police officer firing at a protester at close range went viral, but its authenticity could not immediately be verified.

 

Police said 31 people had been wounded across the territory on Tuesday, two critically, without giving details.

 

Nearly four months of street clashes and demonstrations have plunged the former British colony into its biggest political crisis in decades and pose the most serious popular challenge to President Xi Jinping since he came to power.

 

Protesters had vowed to seize the opportunity on China’s National Day to propel their calls for greater democracy onto the international stage, hijacking an occasion Beijing sees as an opportunity to showcase China’s economic and military progress.

 

“I’m not young, but if we don’t march now, we’ll never have the chance to speak again, it’s as simple as that,” said one marcher near Causeway Bay, a 42-year-old woman with her own logistics company who identified herself as Li.

 

CHINESE BUSINESSES TARGETED

 

By the afternoon, police and protesters were involved in stand-offs across Hong Kong, with the streets littered with tear gas canisters and other debris. The violence spread after nightfall.

 

Police fired water cannon and volley after volley of tear gas to disperse protesters throwing Molotov cocktails outside central government offices in the Admiralty area and ordered the evacuation of the Legislative Council building next door.

 

Petrol bombs were also thrown at MTR metro stations, including at Causeway Bay and Admiralty. Many stations were closed to stop protesters moving around. Shutting stations has made them a common target for attack during the weeks of unrest.

 

Tai Wai station, in the New Territories, was trashed, with a fire hose left turned on, flooding the tiled floors.

 

Police said “rioters” had used corrosive fluid in Tuen Mun in the west of the New Territories, “injuring multiple police officers and reporters”. No details were immediately available.

 

Chinese banks and Chinese-backed businesses were targeted with petrol bombs and anti-China graffiti. Local broadcaster RTHK said it was pulling all its reporters away from the violence after one was hit on the head.

 

BIRTHDAY PARADE

 

The territory has been tense for weeks, with protests often turning violent, as authorities tried to avoid activists spoiling Beijing’s birthday parade at a time when the central government is already grappling with a U.S.-China trade war and a slowing economy.

 

Hundreds of officials and members of Hong Kong’s pro-establishment elite began the day with a flag-raising ceremony and National Day reception at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, held early and moved behind closed doors. Roads to the center were closed and tightly policed.

 

Hong Kong had benefited from China’s support under the “one country, two systems” policy, Acting Chief Executive Matthew Cheung told the assembly, referring to guarantees of political freedoms after the city’s handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

 

But he said escalating violence was disrupting social order and hurting the economy.

 

The government of embattled leader Carrie Lam has already canceled an annual Oct. 1 fireworks display over the city’s Victoria Harbour, citing public safety.

 

Lam, who was trapped in a stadium for hours last week after attending the “open dialogue”, left for Beijing on Monday to celebrate China’s birthday on the mainland. She will return on Tuesday.

 

In contrast to events in Hong Kong, Beijing’s carefully choreographed anniversary festivities included troops marching through part of Tiananmen Square with new missiles and floats celebrating the country’s technological prowess.

 

Lam was shown on television smiling as a float celebrating Hong Kong went past as she sat with Chinese officials.

 

The Communist Party leadership is determined to project an image of national strength and unity in the face of challenges including Hong Kong’s unrest.

 

“On our journey forward, we must uphold the principles of peaceful reunification and one country, two systems; maintain lasting prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macau ... and continue to strive for the motherland’s complete reunification,” Xi said in a nationally televised speech in Beijing.

 

Hong Kong protesters are angry about what they see as creeping Chinese interference in the Asian financial center.

 

China dismisses the accusation and has accused foreign governments, including the United States and Britain, of fanning anti-China sentiment.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-10-01

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[HLover]

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[PJPom]

I agree that they should be allowed to protest but if I was a Police Officer and you were about to engulf me and my fellow Officers in burning petrol I would shoot you without a second thought 

[NokNokJoke]

11 minutes ago, PJPom said:

I agree that they should be allowed to protest but if I was a Police Officer and you were about to engulf me and my fellow Officers in burning petrol I would shoot you without a second thought 

These are not 'peaceful protests'.    They are doing anything to get the sympathy and support of western nations, including contriving facts and trying to incite violent reactions from the police.   They have largely been handled with kid gloves because of this.

These are RIOTERS, not 'protesters'.   The clean faced kids singing songs and holding hands aren't the problem.  The radical criminals, are.  

[europeannomad]

It is very sad that people have to die just because the CCP refuses the dialogue. They had contractually promised that the Honkongers can enjoy certain freedoms for at least 50 years. Anway, this is a totalitarian regime, based on han ethnocentrism, trying to systematically eradicate other cultures and religions. And that has territorial ambitions. The Hongkongers, Taiwan, and the whole world, have the moral duty to resist to what definitely seems to be another nazi regime. It must be stopped before it becomes what Hitler was.

[ylmiri]

6 minutes ago, europeannomad said:

It is very sad that people have to die just because the CCP refuses the dialogue. They had contractually promised that the Honkongers can enjoy certain freedoms for at least 50 years. Anway, this is a totalitarian regime, based on han ethnocentrism, trying to systematically eradicate other cultures and religions. And that has territorial ambitions. The Hongkongers, Taiwan, and the whole world, have the moral duty to resist to what definitely seems to be another nazi regime. It must be stopped before it becomes what Hitler was.

CHINA LOVES YOU.  Your perception is one sided. Would America gives up Hawaii? Would US send troops if people in Hawaii wants independence and they start to demonstrate and throw petrol bombs or even shoot at police?

Would US gives up Texas? It used to belong to Mexico now if the Mexicans want it back?

China is a good country it cannot be bullied or seen to be bullied by anyone.

These Hong Kong people are being naive. Just do your business and make your money. And they should remember this world is only for the rich people, for poor people well, if you lucky you may get 1,000 baht as in Thailand.

Hong Kong people can wait till the next generation when they younger mainland chinese decide to be democratic country after they have been exposed to western countries. The older generations will eventually die of course, they must die like all despotic politicians e.g. Mugabe of Malawi is dead and everyone is happy in Africa.

Of course USA will become a banana republic in the future. Look at Spain today, they used to be so strong , conquistadors conquering south american countries, slaughtering those poor helpless natives there. Today what happen?

[Nyezhov]

12 minutes ago, ylmiri said:

CHINA LOVES YOU

No it looks down on everyone who is not Han or a member of the nomenklatura. It is at war with the world in its own way to reclaim what it views as its sacred history as the most powerful empire the world has ever seen.  Totally revanchist and with an innate sense of cultural superiority, the ends justify the means to the Confucian influenced Marxists as they run roughshod over civil liberties, the rule of law and international norms. They even pay shills to go on message boards to defend them. 

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed. 

[surangw]

when the time comes chinese officials think they are losing face the real bloodshed will start with  troops called in with no connection to hongkongers.

 

[animalmagic]

11 hours ago, PJPom said:

I agree that they should be allowed to protest but if I was a Police Officer and you were about to engulf me and my fellow Officers in burning petrol I would shoot you without a second thought 

From the HK local news feeds.  From other videos the petrol bomb was thrown later and by someone else.

[nobodysfriend]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thousands of black-clad protesters, some wearing Guy Fawkes masks, marched on Admiralty, defying a police ban. Violence escalated across the harbor to Kowloon and beyond to the New Territories in the most widespread unrest in nearly four months.

 

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

China dismisses the accusation and has accused foreign governments, including the United States and Britain, of fanning anti-China sentiment.

 

China will not be able to control this by the use of force . The only peaceful solution will be a special status of Hong Kong that satisfies the protestors who finally only want more freedom .

 

[JohnOFphon]

I think they will be trading in the tear gas launchers for shotguns soon.

 

[cornishcarlos]

The problem is, protests very rarely remain peaceful... That then discourages a lot who would attend if they had no violence to deal with !!

30, 40 maybe 50,000 peaceful protesters would make more of an impact than a handful of violent ones. Human nature won't ever allow that though, as the pack mentality always emerges in the end...

It's a no-win situation at the moment, for both sides.. Hopefully not too many have to die before a resolution is agreed !!!

[wombat]

12 hours ago, surangw said:

when the time comes chinese officials think they are losing face the real bloodshed will start with  troops called in with no connection to hongkongers.

 

Sadly I agree....

Beijing will only put up with so much excrement before they say stuff it.

Edited October 2, 2019 by wombat

[wombat]

2 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

 

 

China will not be able to control this by the use of force . The only peaceful solution will be a special status of Hong Kong that satisfies the protestors who finally only want more freedom .

 

While In theory I agree with you. I have to ask, who is going to physically argue with China if they choose the military route?

[sead]

13 hours ago, NokNokJoke said:

These are not 'peaceful protests'.    They are doing anything to get the sympathy and support of western nations, including contriving facts and trying to incite violent reactions from the police.   They have largely been handled with kid gloves because of this.

These are RIOTERS, not 'protesters'.   The clean faced kids singing songs and holding hands aren't the problem.  The radical criminals, are.  

Same as France yellow shirt.  I  the start it was ok but then escalated to riots by  criminals. Da <deleted> in hongkong has gone too far

[tonbridgebrit]

8 hours ago, animalmagic said:

From the HK local news feeds.  From other videos the petrol bomb was thrown later and by someone else.

Thank you for putting up this video. The same video is on the BBC website, but the BBC video has much longer footage.

Okay, watch the above video footage. The bit before the police officer fires the bullet, you will notice a few demonstrators/rioters beating a person. That person is on the floor, and you can just about see, the person is a police officer in riot gear. So, this was a fight, a few demonstrators/rioters are attacking a police officer, the police officer is on the floor, and a rioter moves towards the officer who fired the shot.

The rioters were beating the officer on the floor, before the officer with the gun fired.

[tonbridgebrit]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-49891403

Click on the above link from the BBC, you can see for yourself. Footage of what happened.

Now, if you are a police officer. One of your fellow police officers is on the floor, being attacked by a few people. You've got a gun, what are you going to do ? Surely, the very minimum you will do is bring the gun out.

You will also notice from the BBC footage, one of the rioters was advancing onto the police officer with the gun, the rioter has a metal stick, or whatever stick.

[tonbridgebrit]

And this is the same footage from Aljazeera. To save you time, you can go straight to 51 0r 52 seconds.

Please have a look. It clearly shows a riot officer on the floor, being attacked. You will see, straight after the shot has been fired, the camera zooms out, and you can see from the footage the rioters moving away from the riot officer on the floor. Obviously, the rioters were beating the man on the floor, before the shot was fired.

Edited October 2, 2019 by tonbridgebrit

[tonbridgebrit]

And, about the film footage that we see. If you go to Youtube, you will notice that the Guardian, Telegraph, the Sun, have also put up the same footage. 

But, but with a difference. Once the shot has been fired, the filming camera, as it zooms out, the footage (footage from the Guardian, Telegraph, Sun) is stopped, it means that you can't see the bit with the riot police officer on the floor being beaten.

I think the Guardian is a great newspaper. But on this occasion, even the Guardian has slanted or biased the picture.

[observer90210]

Why don't people talk about the police office who was nearly beaten to death by the mob a few minutes before ?

 

Sad that a chap was shot, but it's like the journalists who go into lawless war zones, get shot and then society makes them into martyrs...

 

You know what to expect if you enter such a mess, so no point in pointing a finger at anybody, should it be the police or the protesters.

 

it is more then obvious that those HK protestors are instrumentalised by groups of interest either from abroad of within the region.

Edited October 2, 2019 by observer90210

[Morch]

11 minutes ago, observer90210 said:

Why don't people talk about the police office who was nearly beaten to death by the mob a few minutes before ?

 

Sad that a chap was shot, but it's like the journalists who go into lawless war zones, get shot and then society makes them into martyrs...

 

You know what to expect if you enter such a mess, so no point in pointing a finger at anybody, should it be the police or the protesters.

 

it is more then obvious that those HK protestors are instrumentalised by groups of interest either from abroad of within the region.

 

"it is more then obvious that those HK protestors are instrumentalised by groups of interest either from abroad of within the region."

 

Other than in your opinion, obvious how? And by whom?

[observer90210]

2 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

"it is more then obvious that those HK protestors are instrumentalised by groups of interest either from abroad of within the region."

 

Other than in your opinion, obvious how? And by whom?

What is very obvious here is that you are quoting only part of my post with an aim to take the point out of it's context and change the initial statement. Now that's an obvious form of manipulation dear poster and hopefully should answer your question. Have a nice life ????

[Morch]

1 minute ago, observer90210 said:

What is very obvious here is that you are quoting only part of my post with an aim to take the point out of it's context and change the initial statement. Now that's an obvious form of manipulation dear poster and hopefully should answer your question. Have a nice life ????

 

What is obvious is that you need a reality check. I have fully quoted your post, and further highlighted the part I was referring to. There is no obligation to address the entire post, and there was no change in context nor any manipulation. You will not answer because you have no reasonable answer.

[tonbridgebrit]

20 minutes ago, observer90210 said:

Why don't people talk about the police office who was nearly beaten to death by the mob a few minutes before ?

 

Sad that a chap was shot, but it's like the journalists who go into lawless war zones, get shot and then society makes them into martyrs...

 

You know what to expect if you enter such a mess, so no point in pointing a finger at anybody, should it be the police or the protesters.

 

it is more then obvious that those HK protestors are instrumentalised by groups of interest either from abroad of within the region.

Thanks for putting this up. I really mean it.

[observer90210]

6 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

What is obvious is that you need a reality check. I have fully quoted your post, and further highlighted the part I was referring to. There is no obligation to address the entire post, and there was no change in context nor any manipulation. You will not answer because you have no reasonable answer.

well if that makes you feel better......... to make it simpler for you, read my post no 21 above  and count the lines. You did not fully quote and kindly have a mimum of honesty should you be amused in baiting other posters. Thank you. Now I will stop taking up space and gladly grant you and your little ego that ok you win, I loose.... happy ? now move on please.

Edited October 2, 2019 by observer90210

[Morch]

2 minutes ago, observer90210 said:

well if that makes you feel better......... to make it simpler for you, read my post no 21 above  and count the lines. You did not fully quote and kindly have a mimum of honesty should you be amused in baiting other posters. Thank you.

 

Again. Your post is fully quoted, plus an additional quote of the part I was addressing. If anything, it's over quoted.

 

 

[animalmagic]

1 hour ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Thank you for putting up this video. The same video is on the BBC website, but the BBC video has much longer footage.

Okay, watch the above video footage. The bit before the police officer fires the bullet, you will notice a few demonstrators/rioters beating a person. That person is on the floor, and you can just about see, the person is a police officer in riot gear. So, this was a fight, a few demonstrators/rioters are attacking a police officer, the police officer is on the floor, and a rioter moves towards the officer who fired the shot.

The rioters were beating the officer on the floor, before the officer with the gun fired.

You're welcome, here is even longer footage of the event.  Gives a little more perspective on run up to the shooting.  I have my own opinion on the sequence of events and the circumstances that led to it based on personal knowledge and experience.  Feel free to make up your own minds and draw conclusions

.

[tgw]

as much as I hate commies and support the people of HK in their struggle against them, it's clear the police was 100% right to shoot

 

all these protesters attempted murderers were out to hunt down and hurt police officers and should be charged with attempted murder on a police officer.

in the longer video many are armed with deadly weapons such as pointy hammers and metal batons and attack police officers that were on the ground.

Edited October 2, 2019 by tgw

[Odysseus123]

Well..the British could have taught the Chinese a thing or two..

 

The beginning of the end for the world's most insufferable empire-and it's most awful cuisine.