Mayhem in Hong Kong as police fire tear gas and rubber bullets | New

Hong Kong – Mayhem erupted on Sunday as riot police fired several rounds of tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse thousands of demonstrators who defied orders by occupying highways and vandalizing Beijing's liaison office.

The demonstration began peacefully, as tens of thousands of anti-government protesters flocked to the streets to renew calls for an independent investigation into police brutality, alongside other demands for democracy. .

Dressed in their usual black, protesters began gathering at 3:00 pm (0700 GMT) in Victoria Park, Hong Kong Island, for a march towards Wan Chai, a busy commercial area.

But thousands of people continued their journey further north, past the end point, towards Central and Sheung Wan, gathered in front of the Beijing Liaison Office, where protesters threw eggs and altered the emblem Chinese national in front of the building.

The march organizer, the Civil Human Rights Front, said 430,000 people had participated, while the police estimated the number at 138,000.

Hong Kong Police m said they had moved to clean up the occupied area of ​​Sheung Wan because the central police station "was under attack" and started using tear gas after protesters continued to throw "bricks and gas bombs" on them. police despite the warnings.

As the police cordon line ran eastward from Sheung Wan, protesters threw objects such as bricks and gas bombs at the police. Despite repeated warnings from the police, the violence has not diminished. As a result, police used tear gas around 22 hours.

– Hong Kong Police (@hkpoliceforce) July 21, 2019

Defying police orders, protesters occupied streets outside the seat of government and went to the Supreme Court. Dozens of people wearing masks and umbrellas pushed further west to the Beijing Liaison Office.

"During this march, we give priority to our request for an independent investigation, and the abuse of power by the police has not only continued, but has intensified," said Bonnie Leung, Vice President. from the Civil Human Rights Front in Al Jazeera.

"The society really needs to evolve, which can only be achieved by an independent investigation by a trustworthy judge.That 's only with a close report that all the clashes will be able to do it. subject to investigation and to be reported. "

As riot police progressed in the crowd surrounding the Beijing Liaison Office, protesters prepared for a dead end, setting up barricades and supply stations on nearby roads.

In an editorial released Monday, the state-run XInhua news agency condemned the attack on China's office on Chinese territory and said such a "flagrant challenge" to the central government would not be tolerated.

"When the majestic national emblem of the People's Republic of China was stained with black paint, it caused unbearable pain and anger," Xinhua said. "These illegal acts are unacceptable to all Chinese, including Hong Kong".

Anti-government protests sparked by years of growing anger against the Beijing regime [Casey Quackenbush/Al Jazeera]

Meanwhile, in Yuen Long, northwest of Hong Kong, the footage was circulating of men wearing white poles and waving would have attack alleged anti-extradition protesters in subway stations and cars.

Demonstrations have shaken Chinese territory since the proposal in early June of a controversial extradition bill that would have extradited suspected criminals to mainland China. While General Manager Carrie Lam had declared this bill "dead" earlier this month, the leader in crisis did not officially retract it.

The outcry sparked by the bill has since turned into greater concern over China's growing interference in the financial center, a semi-autonomous region since the return of the former British colony to China in 1997.

In early July, protesters stormed and searched The Hong Kong Legislative Council has experienced a major crisis.

Since the police rejected the protesters' call for Sunday's rally to end at Final Court of Appeal in the centerLeung said that a small team of fewer than 30 people would walk to reach their goal.

"We want to reach and see this justice," Leung said.

"We Hong Kongers have always believed in the courts, which are still independent, and the rule of law is very important for Hong Kong."

Protesters gather to take part in anti-government march in Hong Kong Sunday [Laurel Chor/AFP]

Hong Kong has inherited a framework called "a country, two systems" that guarantees the protection of civil liberties and the rule of law, but which, according to the protesters, has been threatened in recent years.

In parallel with an independent police investigation, protesters reiterated on Sunday their five ongoing demands, including the withdrawal of the "riot" label for the June 12 protests, the release of the arrested protesters and the "riot" label. direct election of their leaders.

"It's been almost two months since our biggest demonstrations, but the government has still not responded to our requests," Marshall, a 30-year-old protester, told Al Jazeera. "We will not stop until we reach our goals. "

For Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong, the "critical question" has been to condemn police brutality.

"We urge the Hong Kong government to set up an independent investigation committee," Wong told Al Jazeera.

"Instead of hiding behind the police, it is imperative that Carrie Lam end the bill and return Hong Kongers the right to vote in the elections of the chief executive."

Last weekend, demonstrations in cities near the border between Hong Kong and the mainland resulted in more than 40 arrests and nearly two dozen wounded, according to the Hong Kong Free Press.

Protesters renew call for independent investigation into police brutality [Anthony Wallace/AFP]

Sunday's march follows an eventful weekend.

On Saturday, police arrested three men linked to what they considered to be "the largest seizure of explosives" in a warehouse where a demining team was deployed, reported the South China Morning Post.

Police said independentist material was found in a cache of 10 gasoline bombs, metal rods, slingshots, knives, laboratory-made acidic substances and 2 kg of powerful explosives.

The Hong Kong National Independence Front confirmed in its Telegram group that one of the arrested men was a member of the group, but said he was not aware of the explosives.

It was said that the warehouse was used to store only audio material and promotional material.

The march also follows a pro-Beijing march Saturday, where thousands of people gathered for a "Safeguard Hong Kong" rally for the police and to end the violence.