Police fires tear gas at protesters in Hong Kong in fresh clashes

Riot police used tear gas and baton-charged protesters in Hong Kong to break up anti-government protests on Saturday after some activists threw petrol bombs and bricks, as China freed a British consulate worker whose detention helped fuel tension.

Thousands of demonstrators, many in hard hats and gas masks, marched through the industrial Kwun Tong area and were met by police.

The demonstrations were sparked by an extradition bill but have since morphed into broader anti-government protests.

The government said in a statement the protesters “posed a serious threat to the safety of everyone” at the scene.

“After repeated warnings to the protesters went futile, police officers have deployed tear gas and minimum force to disperse protesters,” it said.

The protesters on Saturday faced off with police for several hours outside a police station in Kwun Tong, having constructed barricades from bamboo poles and traffic barriers.

Demonstrators say they are fighting the erosion of the “one country, two systems” arrangement that enshrines a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong since it was handed back from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

The violence on Saturday came shortly after a worker at the UK consulate in Hong Kong was released by mainland China, Chinese police in Shenzhen said.

Simon Cheng went missing on 8 August after being held at the border during a business trip to the city but has now returned to Hong Kong.

China's foreign ministry said Cheng was detained for 15 days for violating public security laws. The UK welcomed his release.

On Friday, YouTube announced it had shut more than 200 channels it said were part of a "co-ordinated" Chinese attempt to post material about the protests in Hong Kong.

Facebook and Twitter announced on Monday they had taken steps to block what they described as a state-backed misinformation campaign on social networks.

Twitter said it removed 936 accounts it said were being used to "sow political discord in Hong Kong".