Violence in Hong Kong: Protesters defied the law by wearing masks

Protesters protested the government's use of an emergency law banning the use of masks in public mobs.

Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, while further altercations broke out between officers and protesters, trying to lift the barricades.

A taxi driver was beaten in the Sham Shui Po neighborhood after hitting two protesters with his vehicle. According to an AFP photographer, two volunteer rescuers attended the ceremony before the police arrived. A third woman, stuck between the taxi and a shop, was taken away by the crowd, while a group of protesters broke the vehicle.

Some protesters ransacked neighboring government offices, as well as branches of many Chinese banks and subway stations.

At night, a warning flag was erected on the roof of a People's Liberation Army headquarters, against which some protesters pointed with laser beams, according to the RTHK channel of Hong Kong.

It was the third consecutive day of "lightning demonstrations" and unauthorized mobilizations since Carrie Lam, chief executive of Hong Kong, had recourse on Friday to an emergency law prohibiting the demonstrators to cover their faces during of events. .

That same night, the president's decision triggered violence and vandalism against the subway provider, MTR, whom they accused of having acted in collusion with the Chinese central government.

Sunday, the British Excolonia's justice dismissed the appeal filed by Chinese democracy MPs in Hong Kong against this decision.

For the past four months, Hong Kong has been through its worst political crisis since China's surrender to London. Near-daily demonstrations denounce the loss of freedoms and the growing influence of the Chinese government in the affairs of this semi-autonomous region. demand democratic reforms.

On Saturday, MTR suspended traffic on the subway. On Sunday, he decided to open 45 stations, said the official, but 48 others are still closed, especially those located in the neighborhoods where events take place, such as the tourist areas of the center.

The city, which has 7.5 million inhabitants, is extremely dependent on the subway system, one of the most efficient in the world, which carries four million people a day.

In addition, several supermarket chains and shopping centers have decided to close this Sunday, something very unusual in this agglomeration of shopping enthusiasts.

The worst altercations took place on Tuesday, during the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the communist regime in China. For the first time, a police officer shot a demonstrator, an 18-year-old student seriously injured.

On Friday night, a 14-year-old was also shot dead by a plainclothes policeman.

The emergency law to which Carrie Lam referred on Friday dates back to 1922, while Hong Kong was a British colony, and had not been used since 1967.

The text authorizes the executive to take "any measure", without the permission of the legislator, in case of emergency or danger to the population.

Lam has turned to her to ban the use of masks in the steps, which protesters use to hide their identity, but also to protect themselves from tear gas. However, this Sunday, they ignored the ban.

However, Lam clarified that the use of this law does not mean that the state of emergency is decreed.

The measure was applauded by Beijing, while protesters and the opposition saw signs of an authoritarian drift of the government.

"If this law of exception is adopted, the future of Hong Kong will be very dark," Dennis Kwok told reporters Sunday before the High Court issued its decision.

The wave of demonstrations began in June against a bill to allow extradition to mainland China. The text was dropped in early September, but protesters, who have meanwhile increased their demands, continued the mobilization.