Hong Kong government and police force have severely condemned the violence in Hong Kong that flared again on Saturday as anti-government protesters conducted violent and vandalistic acts in Tuen Mun and other districts, throwing petrol bombs at police vehicles and setting ablaze a national flag.
Police had earlier issued the Letter of Objection for Saturday's public procession held in Tuen Mun.
However, some protesters deviated from the original route.
After nightfall, the violence and vandalism of the radical protesters spread to other districts, with some people blocking roads, setting fires in Yuen Long and besieging and attacking Mong Kok police station.
They threw petrol bombs at police vehicles and police officers, and even attempted to snatch the revolver of a police officer, jeopardizing the safety of police officers and members of the public at the scene.
Some other rioters vandalized Light Rail stops and placed objects on the track, leading to the suspension of the service and potentially endangering the safety of its operation.
A 13-year-old was arrested after setting fire to a national flag, challenging the national sovereignty.
The HKSAR government strongly condemned the radical protesters' violent acts, which completely disregard law and order.
"We do not tolerate any violent behaviors. Police would use appropriate force to stop these acts," police said in a statement, vowing to take law enforcement action so as to safeguard the city's public safety and bring all lawbreakers to justice.
Timeline
Starting from 4 p.m., some protesters blocked the roads and set barricades in the vicinity of Tuen Mun, causing obstruction to traffic. Apart from setting barricades, some radical protesters also damaged facilities in Light Rail Town Centre Station and hurled objects into the light rail tracks.
Later on, radical protesters escalated their violence. During the dispersal operation, some rioters threw petrol bombs at police officers repeatedly. They even attacked a police officer conducting an arrest with hard objects on Tuen Wui Street and attempted to snatch his revolver.
At about 9:10 p.m., rioters again threw petrol bombs at police vehicles on Castle Peak Road – Yuen Long, causing danger to the life of the police officers on board. Protesters also occupied carriageways, set fire and committed violent and destructive acts that totally disregarded law and order.
Rioters continued to gather in the vicinity of Yuen Long at late night. A number of disputes, assault and fighting incidents arose. As a result, many people were assaulted, causing serious injuries.
During the dispersal operation, having given repeated warnings in vain, police had to use appropriate force including tear gases and 40mm react rounds to stop the violent acts.