Spontaneous protests and road invasions erupted across Kowloon on Sunday night after protesters fled police tear gas in Causeway Bay.
Protesters around Hong Kong Island’s shopping district had already fled from Sai Wan, where a rally at Kennedy Town turned into an unauthorised march.
Police dispersed them with tear gas shortly after they brought traffic to a halt at the cross-harbour tunnel.
Demonstrators then boarded the MTR.
Although the residential district of Wong Tai Sin – where clashes occurred on Saturday night – was touted as an initial destination, a heavy riot police presence initially deterred some protesters.
They decided to alight at various MTR stations further east including Kwun Tong, Lam Tin and Ngau Tau Kok, forming spontaneous roadblocks.
One brief roadblock occurred outside the Eastern Cross-Harbour Tunnel at Lam Tin.
Protesters who had remained from the afternoon’s march in Tseung Kwan O also blocked the tunnel leading to the Kowloon Peninsula.
In Kwun Tong, protesters hurled bricks at the local police station – including with elastic ropes.
An HKFP reporter also encountered a TVB van that had been smashed up. Protesters have accused the broadcaster of bias.
Riot police followed protesters to each of the destinations around the Kwun Tong MTR line.
In Tseung Kwan O, they clashed with local residents who were heckling them in a park, resulting in injuries.
Protests outside police stations and roadblocks also erupted in the northwest Kowloon district of Mei Foo, the New Territories districts of Tin Shui Wai as well as Ma On Shan, and Wong Tai Sin.
Riot police began clearance operations at Wong Tai Sin, Tin Shui Wai and Kwun Tong police stations at around 1am, as officers advanced towards the assembled crowds.
In Wong Tai Sin, tear gas was fired for the second night in a row.
Riot police and tactical unit officers chased away protesters earlier in Kwun Tong shortly after 11:30pm on Sunday night, as angry residents heckled from the road opposite.#HongKong #antiELAB https://t.co/kmLJLFCnSX pic.twitter.com/UjVmgGVMSN
— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) August 4, 2019
The government condemned demonstrators in multiple press releases over the weekend.
Following the unrest across Kowloon, it said: “The deteriorating situation yesterday once again underlines that violent and illegal protests are spreading, pushing Hong Kong to the verge of a very dangerous situation. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government strongly condemns such acts. We appeal to all members of the public to say no to violence in order to restore order in society as soon as possible.”
Transport chaos is expected throughout Monday amid widespread calls for a general strike.
