- Pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have brought violence to the city in the form of near-weekly clashes between police and activists.
- Protesters first pushed back against an extradition law in June with peaceful demonstrations, but tensions have since boiled over into clashes of tear gas and makeshift weaponry over larger democratic issues.
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Pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong descended into violent chaos over the weekend as authorities and protesters clashed and broke nearly two weeks of peace.
Hundreds of protesters shut down streets and wielded slingshots, poles, iron bars, and bricks in the fight with police that spiraled into chaos after a march that was planned as a peaceful protest over suspected surveillance techniques.
The incident offered an example of the movement’s evolution from a peaceful protest into fiery clashes that Hong Kong police have spent more than 1,800 canisters of tear gas on since June. See how the demonstrations brought the country to a standstill and earned the ire of China.
June 9: An estimated one million people marched to the government headquarters against a proposed bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to China.
Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
The demonstration went over largely peacefully and advocates were pleased with the massive turnout.
June 15: Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam made a shock announcement that she would indefinitely delay the extradition bill.
Mai Shangmin/China News Service/Visual China Group via Getty Images via Getty Images
Source: The Guardian
June 16: Despite the announcement, an estimated two million people took to the streets to demand the bill be fully withdrawn and Lam resign.
Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
Source: CNN
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- Hong Kong protests descended into violence over surveillance concerns on the movement’s 12th weekend
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SEE ALSO: A protester takes us inside the demonstrations in Hong Kong
Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Ellen Cranley)