Hong Kong protests: university becomes battleground between protesters, police
  • 4 years ago
As pro-democracy protests continue in Hong Kong,... more clashes took place in the city on Tuesday... and this time it was on the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Lee Kyung-eun reports.
Hong Kong woke up to large fires across the city on Wednesday after yet another day of violent protests and clashes between protesters and the authorities.
Tram tracks and a bridge were in flames and roads were blocked by thousands of protesters.
Schools and businesses have also closed temporarily amid the chaos.
"I think that we have to come out and take a stand, if everyone's scared, and if people don't come out, then there won't be any way to solve Hong Kong's problems."
This after police and students battled on the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Anti-government protesters threw petrol bombs and lit fires outside the campus and some blocked roads, while police prepared a water cannon to drive them back.
The police even went into a church firing teared gas to arrest protesters.
Among the arrested was an eleven-year-old.
"The tears make the people heard and our voice will come together as one to stop them from entering our campus. I think it is violence to our campus that we are staying here. I do not know if they even have the warrant to get in to the campus to do what they think to protect the society."
On the same day, Hong Kong police held a press conference, saying they have the power to enforce the law on campus as the rioters' acts of throwing objects onto the road from a height and setting fires pose a great threat to public security.
"In view of the rioters' acts, the police actively conducted a number of actions, including entering the campus to disperse and arrest the rioters.
Even without a search warrant, the Police Force Ordinance has empowered us to enter, search and make arrest in relevant places."
The Chinese government is siding with the Hong Kong police, with its state-run media Global Times saying, for the first time in four months, that its troops should be deployed to suppress the protests.
In response, the president of the university’s student union filed an injunction with the High Court to stop police from entering the campus and using lethal weapons without its approval.
The city's religious leaders and legal professionals are also joining the protest to stand with the students.
Lee Kyung-eun, Arirang News.
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