HONG KONG, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- After another of its branches was trashed, HSBC on Wednesday evening condemned the repeated violent acts of rioters targeting its banks and properties in recent days.
"We strongly condemn the acts of vandalism and damage directed at our premises repeatedly in the last few days," HSBC said in a statement.
Rioters went on a rampage again during a protest on New Year's Day, in which a group of masked thugs smashed the glass door and damaged automated teller machines of an HSBC branch on Hennessy Road.
Violent protesters also poured red paint over a lion sculpture outside the HSBC Headquarters in the Central district.
Some spray-painted protective white planks at the entrance of an HSBC branch in the vicinity of Victoria Park.
HSBC, the largest bank in Hong Kong, was caught off guard by the prolonged chaos recently as one of its branches in Mong Kok was vandalized on Christmas Eve by rioters who smashed its glass door, spray-painted walls and set a fire. That night, a branch of HSBC-controlled Hang Seng Bank was also trashed.
HSBC said some of its ATMs and banking facilities had been suspended due to the vandalism.
Apart from HSBC, an increasing number of businesses have also been targeted by rioters, including Starbucks, Adidas, McDonald's and Yoshinoya.
"We believe the rule of law is essential to Hong Kong's status as an international financial center and we look forward to the speedy resolution of the issues," HSBC said.
