A man lights up a petrol bomb during rioting in Hong Kong on Aug. 31, 2019. (Xinhua)
For nearly three months, these rioters had been selling themselves as peaceful demonstrators. But as live streaming of the rioting is broadcast around the world, more people are seeing their true colors.
HONG KONG, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Rioters on Saturday vandalized government buildings, set fires on main streets, and paralyzed traffic, causing chaos in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
Hong Kong police had previously banned the application of public processions on Saturday to ensure the safety of residents and public order after several similar events turned extremely violent recently.
Rioters set fire in Hong Kong on Aug. 31, 2019. (Xinhua)
Yet rioters defied the police ban and illegally took to the streets. They occupied downtown roads, smashed traffic lights, dismantled roadside railings, and built barricades to confront the police.
Black-clad rioters started to gather in downtown Hong Kong Island on Saturday afternoon. The mob moved along Hong Kong's main streets, wrecking havoc along the way.
Many rioters lit up bottles filled with gasoline, known as petrol bombs or Molotov cocktail, and threw them at police officers and into buildings.
Rioters throw petrol bomb on police from a flyover on Aug. 31, 2019. (Xinhua)
A gang of rioters sneaked up onto a flyover and dropped petrol bombs down on police officers who stood in lines.
Violent protesters repeatedly threw corrosive liquids and petrol bombs at the government and police headquarters, and the Legislative Council, said Yu Hoi-Kwan, senior superintendent of Police Public Relations Branch in a briefing.
"They also deliberately set fire to the water-filled barriers and posed grave danger to all of the people on site," she said.
Rioters poured inflammable liquids on one of these barricades near the police headquarters. Huge flames tore through the sky when they lit it up. Fire raged on for more than half an hour before firefighters got it under control.
Rioters set fire near the headquarters of Hong Kong Police Force on Aug. 31, 2019. (Xinhua)
From behind the roadblocks, rioters pulled large sling shots to rain rocks, bricks, and petrol bombs on buildings and police forces in a distance.
"The rioters threw a huge number of petrol bombs. They wanted to stop the police from dispersing them," said a taxi driver surnamed Chow, who was present at the scene in Wan Chai.
By midnight, rioting was mostly under control. Police operations to hunt down suspects continued into the small hours of Sunday.
A man prepares bricks to be used for attacking police in Hong Kong on Aug. 31, 2019. (Xinhua)
For nearly three months, the rioters had been selling themselves as peaceful demonstrators. But as live streaming of the rioting is broadcast around the world, more people are seeing their true colors.
The rioters were well-stocked with petrol bombs and wore sophisticated helmets and masks. They were also highly organized: frontline radicals clashed with police officers; the second line covered for them by hurling projectiles to police lines; those in the back carted bricks and other objects for attacks.
On the internet, many broadcast viewers left comments denouncing the violence. Internet user Steve Anderson wrote on Facebook: "These are some tactical rioters."
"I was in favor of those protesting but I was wrong. Those in government must have and enforce law and order. You can't have life without social order," another user Rick G Meihofer commented on Facebook.
Rioters set fire in Hong Kong on Aug. 31, 2019. (Xinhua)
The HKSAR government severely condemned the illegal and violent acts of the radical protesters in a statement at midnight on Saturday.
Radical protesters gravely breached public peace and posed serious threat to police officers on duty and people at the scene, it said.
Stressing that the police will strictly follow up on all illegal and violent acts, the HKSAR government appealed to the public to say no to violence together in order to restore peace and stability as soon as possible.
