A massive protest in downtown Hong Kong turned violent on Wednesday when riot police fired tear gas and high-powered water hoses in an attempt to break up the crowds. Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets this week to protest a bill that would allow people in Hong Kong to be sent back to mainland China for extraditions, a move that has stoked growing anger of China’s control of the semiautonomous territory and the erosion of civil liberties there, as CBS reported.
Social media sites like Twitter and Instagram were flooded this morning with intense photos and videos of the protests, some showing waves of people that seemed to stretch across downtown Hong Kong and others capturing what looked like brutal instances of police violence.
As the New York Times reported, many Hong Kong businesses closed today in solidarity with the protesters and were posting images on Instagram using the hashtag #nochinaextradition, which is now filled with a mix of tributes and dramatic images of the demonstrations.
Lung Wo Road, way larger crowd than last night chanting for extradition bill to be cancelled. Every few minutes ppl also chant “tape” or “water” etc and supplies get passed to the center #HongKong #反送中 pic.twitter.com/6W6KCvlAGa
— Alice Su 苏奕安 (@aliceysu) June 12, 2019
JUST IN: The moment tear gas was released, for the first time since 2014, to disperse protesters in Hong Kong.
Full coverage: https://t.co/kmLJLFCnSX #NoToChinaExtradition pic.twitter.com/xEpBjBmaaU— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) June 12, 2019
VIDEO: Hong Kong police use tear gas on protesters trying to storm the Legislative Council building https://t.co/M6Knci0DPz pic.twitter.com/Uu2zTVsM4e
— CNA (@ChannelNewsAsia) June 12, 2019
BREAKING: Police have deployed tear gas to disperse anti-extradition law protesters. The Legislative Council building is on lockdown, with no-one allowed in or out.
Full coverage: https://t.co/kmLJLFCnSX #NoToChinaExtradition pic.twitter.com/xQMsCNGaoR
— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) June 12, 2019
#HongKong
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HONG KONG police is Crazy pic.twitter.com/grB0iB3huw— wo (@wo_08) June 12, 2019
In the U.S., some politicians have expressed support for the protesters, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who called the extradition bill “horrific” on Twitter and said America stands with the people of Hong Kong.
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