Hong Kong protests escalates as China celebrates 70th anniversary

In the latest escalation, protesters in Hong Kong threw petrol bombs and police fired tear gas in street battles across the city on Tuesday, posing a direct challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic.

Police fired water cannon and tear gas to try to disperse protesters throwing petrol bombs outside central government offices in the Admiralty area of Hong Kong island and ordered the evacuation of the Legislative Council building, trashed by activists weeks ago, next door.

The Chinese-ruled territory has been tense for weeks, with protests often turning violent, as authorities scramble to avoid activists spoiling Beijing’s birthday parade at a time when the central government is already grappling with a U.S.-China trade war and a slowing economy.

In a major use of force, police also appeared to have hit a protestor with a live round for the first time.

The protestor was injured in the chest; video shared by local Standnews website apparently showed him begging for medical help as he bled on the street. “Send me to hospital, my chest is hurting. I need to go to hospital”.

Hong Kong police have previously caused severe injuries with rubber bullets and beanbag rounds, including to the eyes of a protestor and a journalist. However until today, they had only fired live rounds in warning.

The police have been criticised by Amnesty International for excessive use of force on protestors