Ongoing demonstrations in Hong Kong against mask ban
Violence in Hong Kong was set today, as thousands of pro-democracy protesters defied a ban on masked demonstrations.
The demonstrations, despite heavy rains, and with the continued closure of a number of metro stations, spread to downtown neighbourhoods and on the other side of the bay on the Kowloon Peninsula.
Protesters demonstrated against the government's use of emergency powers to prevent the wearing of masks at public gatherings, police resorted to tear gas to disperse demonstrators, and clashes erupted with demonstrators trying to erect barricades.
Today's demonstrations come three days after Prime Minister Carrie Lam's decision, Friday, to use an emergency law prohibiting protesters from hiding their faces, which has fuelled tensions since Friday evening, and acts of vandalism and violence targeting the Hong Kong Metro Company accused of colluding with central authorities in Beijing.
Hong Kong has been experiencing its worst political crisis for nearly four months, with near-daily demonstrations to denounce the decline of freedoms and Beijing's increasing dominance over the affairs of the semi-autonomous region, and to demand democratic reforms. It opened today, but 48 are still closed in the neighborhoods that have seen protests, especially the tourist area.