Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage of the incident was shared on Telegram and Twitter

At least 10 people were injured when fireworks were shot from a moving car into a crowd of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.

Video on social media showed people running for cover as fiery trails were shot towards them outside a police station in Tin Shui Wai district.

The activists had been supporting a small number of protesters who had been detained inside the station.

Tensions are high in Hong Kong after weeks of anti-government protests.

The incident early on Wednesday came as more than 40 activists appeared in court charged with rioting, after a protest on Sunday ended in violent clashes with police.

If convicted, they could face up to 10 years in prison.

Campaigner Jack Hazlewood posted videos of the attacks collated from the private messaging app Telegram and other online sources.

Footage from Tin Shui Wai showed the car from which the attack was launched speeding away. The attackers have not been identified.

Police "strongly condemned" those responsible and said they were investigating.

It was the second time this month that pro-democracy activists had been attacked.

On 21 July, men dressed in white shirts and believed to be triad gangsters assaulted protesters and passers-by in the Yuen Long area, after some demonstrators had stormed China's central government building and defaced the national emblem.

Protesters alleged that the gangsters were acting at the behest of the authorities, a claim strongly denied by the government and police.

Elsewhere in Hong Kong, another crowd braved an approaching typhoon to gather outside a court where 44 people were charged with rioting. It is the first time the Hong Kong government has used the charge in connection with these anti-government protests.

The protesters chanted "revolution of our time" and "liberate Hong Kong".

The 44 were released on bail until September and most were given a midnight curfew.

Those gathered outside were in defiant mood.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Protesters chased officers and threw projectiles but other demonstrators urged them to stop (EVN/ Aaron McNicholas)

"I'm not scared to protest. This whole thing today is just making me more angry," said one protester, who gave his name as Gartner.

China has largely allowed Hong Kong's authorities to deal with the protests but fears are growing that it could step in if disruption continues.

In a rare intervention, China's top policy office in Hong Kong condemned Sunday's violent clashes as "horrendous incidents" that have caused "serious damage to the rule of law".

A spokeswoman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office insisted that the territory's "top priority" was to "restore social order".

How did we get here?

Demonstrations in Hong Kong began over a controversial bill that would have enabled extraditions to mainland China.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Nick Beake described the "chaos" on the streets over the weekend

The government has since paused work on the bill, but protesters want it withdrawn completely.

The demonstrations have also broadened into a wider movement, with activists demanding democratic reform and an independent inquiry into police violence.

As a former British colony, Hong Kong has its own legal and judicial systems, and has been promised "a high degree of autonomy" from the Chinese government except in foreign and defence affairs. </s> There have been some extraordinary developments in the feud between Beijing and anti-government protesters in Hong Kong, with reports Chinese military units are congregating along the border.

And adding to the tension, several protesters were injured outside a Hong Kong police station when fireworks were shot into the crowd from a moving car. </s> A black car shot firecrackers at a crowd protesting outside the Tin Shui Wai police station in Hong Kong on Tuesday night, injuring at least ten of them.

Hundreds had gathered at the site to raise their voice against the arrest of two young protestors.

While there is a formal ban on firecrackers in Hong Kong, footage and photos show how the black car zipped through at around 02:30 am, firing rounds of crackers at the crowd. The crowd ran for cover but several people were burnt and knocked to the ground, and are reportedly suffering from sensory damage.

The car was a Toyota bearing the licence plate LP3369. However, public records show that car registered with the plate should be a black Nissan, raising questions over whether the car was using a false plate, reported the Hong Kong Free Press.

In over a month of protests, Hong Kongers have delt with rubber pellets, tear gas, an unidentified gang of men in white-shirts who beat them with sticks and rods and now firecracker attacks. What started as protests against an Extradition Bill that would authorise China to declare and take action against anyone they considered a national threat has now become an increasingly violent fight for autonomy.

Watch: In Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters were beaten up by unidentified men in white shirts



Hong Kong: Protestors storm Parliament, deface walls on the anniversary of handover to China



Watch: In Hong Kong, a crowd of nearly two million protestors parts to make way for an ambulance </s> HONG KONG (AP) — Protesters clashed with police again in Hong Kong on Tuesday night after reports that some of their detained colleagues would be charged with the relatively serious charge of rioting.

Several hundred protesters mobilized in the streets outside a police station after 44 people were arrested on riot charges stemming from a Sunday night demonstration.

Hong Kong police said in a statement Tuesday that the protesters set up roadblocks, broke fences, damaged street signs and attacked police officers with bricks and iron rods.

One of the accused is a 33-year-old man who was also charged with assaulting a police officer, police said.

The accused rioters and a 24-year-old man charged with weapons possession will appear in court Wednesday.

A total of 49 people, including 32 men and 17 women between the ages of 16 and 41, had initially been arrested from the scene. Hong Kong police said it “will not rule out the possibility of further arrest” as it investigates the four others released temporarily or out on bail.

Video livestreamed by Hong Kong media showed protesters chanting slogans and throwing eggs at the Kwai Chung police station. Police used pepper spray to try to disperse them.

Fireworks were set off just before 3 a.m. Wednesday, injuring six men near another police station. Five people were taken to a nearby hospital for their injuries and the sixth man declined medical treatment at the scene, police said.

Video footage on social media appears to show a car driving by the Tin Shui Wai police station as fireworks flare by where protesters were gathered.

Police said it was not an action taken by officials and that officers are investigating the incident.

The unannounced protest capped another day of unrest. During the morning rush hour, commuters argued with demonstrators who blocked subway train doors in their continuing movement to demand greater accountability from the semi-autonomous Chinese territory’s government.

Activists began protesting in early June for the government to withdraw an extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to stand trial in mainland China, where critics say their legal rights would be threatened. The government suspended the bill, but the protests have expanded to calls for democracy and government accountability.

Service was delayed and partially suspended on the Island and Kwun Tong lines, subway operator MTR said. It cited “a number of train door obstructions” as well as someone activating a safety device at a platform on the Kwun Tong line.

The action targeted rush hour traffic at several stations. MTR responded by providing minibuses to replace delayed trains, and normal service was restored by around noon.

Protester Ken Chan said he wanted MTR officials to explain why they allegedly failed to take action on July 21 when a large gang of men in white shirts brutally beat dozens of people inside a train station as a massive protest was winding down. Hong Kong’s government and the central authorities in Beijing have blamed protesters for sparking the confrontation.

“How could they let the triads in white attack people on the platform randomly, including the elderly and children in the train?” said Chan, 32, using the common term for members of organized crime groups. “Some of the elderly got smacked on their heads, but (MTR staff) turned a blind eye to it.”

Lorraine Lee, 26, said the subway disruption was an attempt to remind people of the government’s alleged failure to deal with social, economic and political injustices.

“The government has not been addressing the problems in our society,” Lee said. “That is why now Hong Kongers have no choice but to use different ‘creative’ approaches to remind people what is happening in Hong Kong.”

Associated Press video showed heated exchanges at Tiu Keng Leng station, where a crowd of protesters and commuters filled the platform and a stopped train.

Posts on Twitter showed long lines of commuters waiting for free shuttle buses provided by MTR to other subway stops. Protesters conducted a similar action to block trains last week.

The disruption is part of a pro-democracy movement that has seen hundreds of thousands take to the streets this summer for marches and rallies. The protests have shaken the government in Hong Kong and raised concerns in Beijing. Hong Kong is part of China, but it has a fair degree of autonomy in local affairs.

On Sunday, police repeatedly fired tear gas and rubber bullets to drive back protesters blocking Hong Kong streets with road signs and umbrellas.

The protesters have demanded an independent inquiry into police conduct at the demonstrations, which they say has been abusive.

China on Monday accused unidentified foreign actors of encouraging the protests. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Tuesday that the central government “resolutely opposes any foreign forces’ attempts to intervene in Hong Kong affairs.”

“We have the determination and ability to safeguard peace and stability in Hong Kong,” Hua said at a daily briefing.

On Saturday, Hong Kong police fired tear gas, swung batons and forcefully cleared out protesters who defied warnings not to march. </s> • A group of assailants stormed a train station in Hong Kong on Sunday night following a pro-democracy march, attacking passengers with batons, sticks, and other makeshift weapons.
• Video from the event shows a group of men, some wearing masks and many in white t-shirts, storming the Yuen Long Station in the city’s north and attacking commuters.
• Hong Kong’s hospital authority said at least 45 people were injured as of 2:30 a.m., the South China Morning Post reported, with one in critical condition.
• The train station violence follows clashes between police and protesters earlier in the day.

A group of assailants stormed a train station in Hong Kong on Sunday night following a pro-democracy march, attacking passengers with batons, sticks, and other makeshift weapons.

Video from the event shows a group of men, some wearing masks and many in white t-shirts, storming the Yuen Long Station in the city’s north and attacking commuters.

Live video posted to Facebook by pro-democracy lawmaker Lam Cheuk Ting shows men with sticks attacking passengers on a train car stopped at the station. Lam was reportedly attacked during the scuffle and can be seen with a bloodied lip.

Journalists were also reportedly injured in the attack. According to Jerome Taylor, Hong Kong bureau chief for AFP, vigilantes were working to identify the attackers and post their identities online.

Video showed paramedics on the scene unable to leave the station because of the clashes. Other footage appeared to show police turning a blind eye amid the violence.

Hong Kong’s hospital authority said at least 45 people were injured as of 2:30 a.m., South China Morning Post reported, with one in critical condition.

Witnesses say the gang appeared to be targeting commuters in black-shirts who had been at anti-government protests earlier in the day, according to Reuters.

Police clashed with protesters on Sunday, in the seventh week of protests against proposed legislation which would allow for the extradition of Hong Kong residents to mainland China to face trial.

The march, organized by the Civil Human Rights Front, began as a peaceful protest but quickly descended into chaos as some protesters advanced past police barricades and stormed the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (CPGLO), spraying graffiti on China’s national emblem and egging the entrance to the office.

According to police, those who charged police lines hurled bricks, smoke grenades, and set fires

According to the Civil Human Rights Front, 430,000 people turned up for the protests, while police put the figure closer to 138,000. Police dressed in riot gear fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse crowds.

On Monday, pro-democracy activists and lawmakers accused the police of purposely ignoring the violent actions taken by the rogue assailants.

Ray Chan, a pro-democracy lawmaker and member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, criticized perceived lack of police response to the incident.

“#HongKong has 1 of the world’s highest cop to population ratio,” he wrote. “Where were @hkpoliceforce?”

Wilson Leung, a member of Hong Kong’s Progressive Lawyer’s Group, called the alleged indifference demonstrated by police “absolutely disgraceful.”

Hong Kong Police condemned the violent attacks on commuters as well as clashes with police earlier in the day.

“Police do not tolerate any violent behaviors,” it wrote in a statement on the force’s website. “Police are now actively following up the two incidents in order to bring the offenders to justice.”

Hong Kong’s government issued a statement just after midnight, promising to take “enforcement action” against those responsible for both incidences of violence.

“Following the storming of the CPGLO building, some radical protesters initiated a series of violent acts in Sheung Wan area, despite repeated warnings by the Police. These outrageous, violent acts included hurling petrol bombs, setting fires and throwing bricks. Thoroughfares were also blocked.” “Meanwhile in Yuen Long, some people congregated at the platforms of the MTR station and train compartments, attacking commuters. It led to confrontations and injuries. “This is absolutely unacceptable to Hong Kong as a society that observes the rule of law. The SAR Government strongly condemns any violence and will seriously take enforcement actions,” it said. </s> HONG KONG, Aug 1 — Dozens of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters appeared in court yesterday after being charged with rioting, setting the stage for further unrest in a weeks-long crisis that has rocked the global financial hub.

The announcement on Tuesday night that 44 people had been charged with rioting — an offence that carries a jail term of up to 10 years — immediately triggered another round of clashes between police and protesters.

Supporters continued to voice their outrage as they stood for hours on Wednesday outside court, braving heavy winds and rain, as the accused rioters appeared before a judge.

“Release the righteous... no rioters, only tyranny... reclaim Hong Kong, the revolution of our times,” the supporters chanted.

The protesters were generally calm as they took turns to appear in front of the judge, who formally read the charges and granted them bail.

The range of their professions reflected the wide support across Hong Kong society for the pro-democracy movement.

They included a teacher, a nurse, an airline pilot, a barber, a chef, an electrician, a construction worker and unemployed people, according to their charge sheets.

A 16-year-old girl was also among the group.

Semi-autonomous Hong Kong has endured more than seven weeks of unrest that began with a government bid to introduce a law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.

The protests evolved into a movement for deeper democratic reforms and an end to eroding freedoms, in the most significant challenge to Beijing's rule since the city's handover from Britain in 1997.

In the latest confrontation, police used pepper spray and batons against hundreds of protesters who had gathered outside a police station in solidarity with those who had just been charged.

Footage broadcast live on television showed an officer aiming a shotgun at protesters who were throwing objects at him.

Police said yesterday evening they had arrested three people after fireworks were fired from a car at protesters gathered outside another police station on Tuesday night.

The previous two weekends had seen a surge in the level of violence used by both protesters and police, who repeatedly fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse projectile-throwing crowds.

A mob of pro-government thugs also attacked protesters, putting 45 people in hospital.

The 44 protesters were charged for their alleged role in running battles between police and protesters in a well-heeled residential neighbourhood on the main island on Sunday.

The move to charge protesters with rioting came a day after Beijing publicly threw its weight behind Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam and the police, saying violent protesters must be swiftly punished.

“No civilised society or rule of law society will tolerate rampant violence,” Yang Guang, spokesman for the cabinet-level Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, told reporters.

But while Beijing has issued increasingly shrill condemnations of the protests, it has left the city's government to deal with the situation.

Lam has shown no sign of backing down beyond agreeing to suspend the extradition bill, and has made few public appearances.

Amnesty International said the charging of the 44 protesters with rioting was aimed at intimidating others from taking part in future pro-democracy rallies.

“By using such vague charges against pro-democracy protesters, the Hong Kong authorities seem intent on sending a chilling warning to anyone considering taking part in future protests,” the global human rights group's Hong Kong director, Man-kei Tam, said in a statement.

But protesters have vowed to keep their campaign going until their core demands are met.

They include Lam's resignation, an independent inquiry into police tactics, an amnesty for those arrested, a permanent withdrawal of the bill and the right to elect their leaders.

Under the terms of the 1997 handover deal from British to Chinese rule, Hong Kong enjoys rights and liberties unseen on the mainland, including an independent judiciary and freedom of speech.

But many say those rights are being curtailed, citing the disappearance into mainland custody of dissident booksellers, the disqualification of prominent politicians and the jailing of pro-democracy protest leaders.

Public anger has been compounded by rising inequality, the high costs of living and the perception that the city's distinct language and culture are being threatened by ever closer integration with the Chinese mainland. — AFP </s> In Hong Kong they don’t gild the lily, they gild the bauhinia. A giant golden statue of the orchid-like flower, which is the symbol of the rambunctious Asian city state, stands in the middle of a harbour-side square in the Wan Chai district. It was erected 20 years ago to commemorate the official handover of Hong Kong from British colonial supervision to the authority of Beijing and the Chinese Communist Party.

In the shadow of the golden bauhinia on Saturday China’s President, Xi Jinping, will deliver a speech in front of city officials to mark the occasion on 1 July 1997 when, after 150 years of British colonial rule, Hong Kong reverted back to the sovereignty of Beijing. He will also swear in Hong Kong’s new political “chief executive” Carrie Lam. In the evening fireworks will explode over Victoria Harbour.

But the bauhinia’s golden sheen of Hong Kong-Beijing unity has been badly tarnished. And Xi, for all the warm and bland words he will deliver, knows it.

On Wednesday the statue itself was occupied by local pro-democracy activists, who draped a black cloth over the six-foot flower to symbolise “the hardline rule of the [Beijing] authoritarian regime”.

The demonstrators were arrested. But there will be further protests on Saturday, with a pro-democracy march expected to attract tens of thousands of supporters. Xi will deliver his speech amid unprecedented security. Around a third of the Hong Kong police force, some 11,000 officers, will be deployed to keep order.

Twenty years ago, London and Beijing agreed to a “one country, two systems” compromise over Hong Kong. A “Basic Law” constitution, guaranteeing a high level of autonomy for the region and respect for its citizens’ civil and political rights (far greater than anything enjoyed by the citizens of mainland China) was put into effect. Under a joint declaration, the former colony’s way of life was supposed to remain unchanged for 50 years.

And some things haven’t changed. The territory’s GDP growth rate has averaged just over 3 per cent since 1997, roughly half the rate of the previous two decades. But this reflects the natural slowdown of a maturing economy and the backwash of global economic forces more than malign influence from the mainland. The reality is that Hong Kong’s economy has been largely left alone by Beijing. And a surge of mainland money and tourism have helped Hong Kong’s economy, rather than hindered it.

The People’s Liberation Army, which moved a garrison into the territory 20 years ago, has been a relatively unobtrusive presence. The courts are still independent. The press is still largely free. The civil service is still uncorrupted.

Yet there has been a subtle political asphyxiation. A move to a wider suffrage, which democracy activists insist they were promised by Beijing in 2007, has not materialised. Lam was selected by a committee of just 1,200 Hong Kong residents. The favoured political candidates of Beijing have ascended to power in the territory and around half of the members in the 70-seat legislature are loyal to Beijing. There have been attempts to enforce a “patriotic” and pro-Communist Party education in Hong Kong schools.

But the most chilling manifestation of Beijing’s authoritarian infiltration has been the kidnapping in 2015 of five Hong Kong booksellers for peddling works making salacious claims about top Communist Party officials. Few expect these kinds of incursions to end. One thing Xi has proved since he became China’s president in 2012 is that he is no political reformer, as his Government’s record of locking up bloggers and civil rights lawyers on the mainland shows.

Hong Kong’s massive pro-democracy Umbrella Revolution of 2014 was divisive. Some of the older generation of Hong Kongers were alienated by the zealousness of the polite children, who occupied downtown districts for weeks. But the general restiveness in Hong Kong is real, and certainly not just confined to a minority of young hotheads.

Frustration, often sadly manifesting itself as outright bigotry, towards the one and a half million mainlanders who have moved to Hong Kong, pushing property prices into the stratosphere, is expanding. A growing number of Hong Kong’s residents say they would like to emigrate. Fear over the future – political, economic and cultural – is palpable.

Twenty years have now passed since the royal yacht Britannia, bearing the last Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, glided out of Victoria Harbour. But what do the next 20 hold for Hong Kong?

The International Monetary Fund expects its growth rate to pick up to 3 per cent a year, as China’s gradually declines to below 6 per cent. But the city’s economic fortunes are likely to increasingly ebb and flow with those of its giant neighbour, which is struggling to pivot to a more sustainable, less debt-driven and polluting, form of growth.

The same, whatever was agreed by London and Beijing two decades ago, is likely to be true of Hong Kong’s political fortunes. British ministers lacked the courage to stand up to Beijing over Hong Kong’s political freedoms even before the Brexit vote. Now, sucked into the vortex of extricating Britain from the European Union and desperate to do a major trade deal with Beijing to offset the economic damage of Brexit, London lacks even that ability or desire to speak out. More than ever, the people of Hong Kong know they are on their own.

Ben Chu is the author of 'Chinese Whispers: Why Everything You’ve Heard About China is Wrong' </s> HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on protests in Hong Kong (all times local):

Hong Kong police say six men were hurt by an eruption of fireworks early Wednesday near a police station where protesters clashed with officers after rioting charges were brought against other demonstrators.

Video footage on social media appears to show a car driving along the Tin Shui Wai Police Station as flashes of fireworks set off where protesters were gathered.

Police said it was not an action taken by officials and that officers are investigating the incident that was reported about 2:45 a.m. Wednesday.

Five men were taken to a nearby hospital for their injuries, and the sixth man declined medical treatment at the scene.

Several hundred protesters had mobilized in the streets Tuesday night after Hong Kong police said that 44 people had been arrested on riot charges stemming from a demonstration Sunday night.

Protesters have clashed with police again in Hong Kong after reports that some of their detained colleagues would be charged with the relatively serious charge of rioting.

Several hundred protesters mobilized in the streets outside a police station Tuesday night after Hong Kong media said that 44 people had been arrested on riot charges stemming from a Sunday night demonstration.

They and one other charged with possession of offensive weapons were to appear in court on Wednesday, according to public broadcaster RTHK.

Live video streamed by Hong Kong media showed protesters chanting slogans and throwing eggs at the Kwai Chung police station. Police used pepper spray to try to disperse them.

Protesters in Hong Kong have disrupted subway service during the morning commute by blocking the doors on trains, preventing them from leaving the stations.

Service was partially suspended on one line and delayed on another line Tuesday. Angry commuters argued with protesters in a stopped train and on the platform at Tiu Keng Leng station.

The disruption is part of a pro-democracy movement that has seen hundreds of thousands take to the streets this summer for marches and rallies. The protests have shaken the government in Hong Kong and raised concern in Beijing. The city is part of China but has a fair degree of autonomy in local affairs.

Posts on Twitter showed long lines of commuters waiting for shuttle buses provided by the subway operator.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. </s> Travelers wait at the check-in counters in the departure hall of the Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. Protesters clogged the departure area at Hong Kong’s reopened airport Tuesday, a day after they forced one of the world’s busiest transport hubs to shut down entirely amid their calls for an independent inquiry into alleged police abuse. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on Hong Kong protests (all times local):

Hong Kong police say they have arrested five people for unlawful assembly, assaulting police officers and possessing weapons after a second day of mass protests at the city’s airport.

Officials said in a statement that some protesters detained, harassed and assaulted a traveler and a journalist, and obstructed ambulance workers from taking the two men to the hospital. They said other protesters attacked a police officer and snatched a baton from him.

A government statement condemned the acts, saying they “have overstepped the bottom line of a civilized society.”

Hong Kong’s busy airport was the latest setting for large-scale pro-democracy protests that have rocked the city for months, with authorities canceling dozens of flights on Monday and Tuesday. Demonstrators say they plan to return to the airport Wednesday.

President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that U.S. intelligence believes that the Chinese government is moving troops to its border with Hong Kong.

Trump also tweeted that “Everyone should be calm and safe!” He provided no additional details.

Riot police briefly clashed with pro-democracy protesters outside the Hong Kong Airport for the second day on Tuesday though calm returned to the airport in the early hours of Wednesday.

The airport disruptions are an escalation of a summer of demonstrations against what some in Hong Kong see as an increasing erosion of freedoms. The protests have in recent weeks turned to focus on police brutality against demonstrators.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump called the Hong Kong protests a “very tricky situation,” saying he hopes no one is injured or killed.

Most protesters and police have left Hong Kong Airport after a second day of demonstrations that caused mass flight cancellations at the busy transport hub.

Calm returned to the airport in the early hours of Wednesday after riot police briefly clashed with pro-democracy protesters outside the building earlier Tuesday night. Officers armed with pepper spray and swinging batons briefly tried to enter the terminal, while protesters used luggage carts to barricade entrances.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled Tuesday and Monday and passengers have been forced to stay in the city while airlines tried to find other ways to get them to their destinations.

The airport disruptions are an escalation of a summer of demonstrations against what some in Hong Kong see as an increasing erosion of freedoms. The protests have in recent weeks turned to focus on police brutality against demonstrators.

China’s diplomatic mission in Geneva is lashing out at the U.N. human rights office, accusing its spokesman of making a “wrongful statement” about protests in Hong Kong that “sends the wrong signal to the violent criminal offenders.”

In an e-mail to reporters, the mission took issue with comments Tuesday by spokesman Rupert Colville, who expressed concerns about the “escalation of violence” and the firing of tear gas canisters by security forces into crowded areas.

The mission lamented how the demonstrations in Hong Kong “have recently taken a violent turn as some radical mobsters deliberately perpetuated violence … Their behavior has nothing to do with peaceful demonstration.”

It urged the human rights office to “stop interfering in the affairs of Hong Kong.”

Emergency officials have taken an injured mainland Chinese man away from Hong Kong’s airport after angry protesters who accused him of being a Chinese undercover agent tied up his hands and tried to beat him up.

The man was pictured with his hands bound with cable ties, lying in a fetal position on the ground surrounded by a crowd of protesters as demonstrations continued at the airport for a second day and turned tense late Tuesday. Some tried to kick and hit him while others tried to hold the crowd back. Protesters said they detained him because he wore a press vest and claimed to be a reporter, but a mainland Chinese ID card was found in his belongings.

The chaotic situation eventually ended when protesters allowed ambulance workers to take the man away on a stretcher.

Pro-democracy protesters have been sensitive to police infiltration after activists were arrested by officers dressed just like them. Police have acknowledged that they use decoy officers in some operations.

Chaos has broken out at Hong Kong’s airport as riot police move into the terminal to confront protesters who shut down operations at the busy transport hub for two straight days.

Officers armed with pepper spray and swinging batons clashed with protesters who used luggage carts to barricade entrances to the airport terminal on Tuesday night.

Police took several people into a police van waiting at the entrance to the airport’s arrivals hall.

Police said they tried to help ambulance officers reach an injured man whom protesters had detained on suspicion of being an undercover agent.

Protesters also detained a second man whom they suspected of being an undercover agent. After emptying out his belongings, they found a blue T-shirt that has been worn by pro-Beijing supporters that they said was evidence he was a spy.

At least three concerts by overseas performers have been canceled in Hong Kong as protesters forced the city’s airport to suspend operations for a second day.

K-pop star Kang Daniel and Scottish band CHVRCHES both announced Tuesday that they are calling off upcoming events. American singer-songwriter Alec Benjamin canceled an upcoming concert late Monday.

Kang’s management office said the cancellation of a fan meeting scheduled for Sunday was because of safety concerns related to the protests, while CHVRCHES blamed “unforeseen circumstances.”

The airport protests are the latest escalation in a summer of demonstrations aimed at what many in Hong Kong see as an increasing erosion of their freedoms.

The United Nations’ top human rights official has condemned violence in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests and called on the authorities and protesters to solve their dispute peacefully.

A spokesman for U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said she was concerned by the recent “escalation of violence.”

Rupert Colville said the UN Human Rights Office had also reviewed credible evidence that police are using “less-lethal weapons in ways that are prohibited by international norms.”

Tactics by Hong Kong police have become a major issue for protesters.

The rights office urged Hong Kong authorities to investigate examples of officers firing tear gas canisters into crowded, enclosed areas and directly at individual protesters.

Hong Kong’s airport has cancelled all remaining departing flights for the second day after protesters took over the terminals.

The airport authority announced early Tuesday evening that check-in services for departing flights were suspended as of 4:30 p.m. Other departing flights that have completed the process will continue to operate.

It said it did not expect arriving flights to be affected, though dozens of arriving flights were already cancelled.

The authority advised the public not to come to the airport.

Some flights were able to depart and land earlier Tuesday, a day after more than 200 flights were canceled.

The airport’s arrival and departure halls were blocked by thousands of protesters who were gathered in the airport for the fifth consecutive day. They are calling for democratic reforms and an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality.

Thousands of protesters have returned to the Hong Kong airport and are once more threatening regular airline operations just one day after they prompted a full shutdown of one of the world’s busiest transit hubs.

After filling up the arrivals hall, demonstrators are now streaming into the departures area despite increased security measures designed to keep them out.

The black-clad protesters held up signs to appeal to travelers from mainland China and other parts of the world. “Democracy is a good thing,” said one sign in Simplified Chinese characters, which are used in mainland China instead of the Traditional Chinese script of Hong Kong.

One entrance to the immigration area was entirely blocked by protesters and arriving passengers struggled to get through.

More than 100 flights were cancelled as of Tuesday afternoon. Some flights were taking off and going through check-in as airlines worked through the backlog.

Flights have been taking off from the Hong Kong airport as it works through a backlog of cancelled flights while a few thousand protesters have once again occupied the arrival hall.

Some flights Tuesday were still cancelled. It was not immediately clear whether they were affected by the current demonstration, as occurred Monday, when about 200 flights were cancelled and airport completely shut down amid a mass protest.

The airport authority said they were implementing flight rescheduling Tuesday. The authority urged passengers “to use public transportation and allow sufficient time to go to the airport.”

Hong Kong has seen two months of anti-government demonstrations that have increasingly impacted day-to-day operations in the financial hub.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has defended law enforcement actions after protesters prompted an airport shutdown with calls to investigate alleged police brutality.

Airlines early Tuesday were checking in passengers for flights, including those cancelled the previous day because thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators had packed into the airport’s main terminal.

Demonstrators have called for an independent inquiry into what they call the police’s abuse of power and negligence. Some protesters thrown bricks, eggs and flaming objects at police stations.

Lam told reporters that dialogue would only begin when the violence stopped. She reiterated her support for the police and said they have had to make on-the-spot decisions under difficult circumstances, using “the lowest level of force.”

One of the world’s busiest airports was struggling to reopen the morning after thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators crowded into Hong Kong’s main terminal and forced flight cancellations.

Passengers were checking in for flights Tuesday morning in a sign operations were returning to normal, although protesters have shown no sign of letting up on their campaign to force Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s administration to respond to their demands.

About 200 flights had been canceled.

Passengers unable to leave on Monday were among those crowding in the departure hall.
At least 10 people are injured after fireworks were shot from a moving car into a crowd of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.