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SCMP Reporters

An illegal march in Hong Kong has turned into another night of violence and wanton destruction in the city as protesters course down the major thoroughfare of Nathan Road, smashing up and burning MTR stations and shops with mainland Chinese links.
A huge blaze engulfed a Xiaomi store in Mong Kok, while earlier petrol bombs were thrown into the exits of at least two MTR stations. Several other shops and restaurants, including branches of Best Mart 360 and Yoshinoya have been targeted.
In response, police have deployed water cannon firing blue dye, a bomb disposal robot and rounds of tear gas and rubber bullets.
Our blog below captured events as they unfolded. Reporting by Phila Siu, Linda Lew, Kimmy Chung and Jeffie Lam.


As it happened: Hong Kong arson spree on stores such as Xiaomi, Best Mart 360 and Tong Ren Tang amid protests

A Xiaomi store in Mong Kok is on fire. Photo: May Tse

Hong Kong protests: Civil Human Rights Front loses appeal against police ban on Sunday march, but members will press on in ‘personal capacity’

News

Hong Kong

Politics

Hong Kong has been rocked by months of protest unrest, with various marches, illegal and authorised, taking place citywide. Photo: Felix Wong

(L-R)Civil Human Rights FrontÕs deputy convenor Eric Lai Yan-ho; with vice convenor Figo Chan Ho-hang on a break during an appeal to the Appeal Board on Public Meetings and Processions. 19OCT19 SCMP/ Jonathan Wong

People participate in an anti-extradition bill march held from Tsim Sha Tsui to the West Kowloon High Speed Rail Link Terminus. Picture shows thousands gathering outside the high-speed terminus in West Kowloon.  07JUL19 SCMP / Sam Tsang


At least 14 MTR stations closed as protesters taking part in illegal march leave trail of destruction through Kowloon
Journeys on high-speed rail link disrupted while demonstrators strike again on usual targets of vandalism



Chaos started with illegal march which later descended into violence and fires lit in Mong Kok, as mobs targeted stores with mainland links. 


Hong Kong protests

Hong Kong extradition bill

Live

Many shops in Chungking Mansions have shut already with security guards saying it is because of the expected protest march.



Chungking Mansions shops close down

The high-speed rail station in West Kowloon has enhanced its security arrangements. Only passengers with tickets are allowed to enter the station while a few police guard the entrance.




High-speed rail link also on alert

Jeffrey Andrews, 34, has organised a water station and patrol team at Chungking Mansions. He is of Indian origin and was born in Hong Kong.
The social worker decided on today's action because he wanted to show a positive side of the ethnic minority community of Hong Kong.

"We're all Hongkongers and we want to dispel the negative perceptions associated with our community," he says.
Calls to protect Chungking Mansions and other sites important to ethnic minorities in Kowloon circulated online after front convenor Jimmy Sham was attacked by people said to be South Asian. There are fears there will be retribution for the attack.
Andrews and his team spent several hundred dollars buying water, while many more boxes have been donated.



Social worker organises water station

About half an hour before the march is set to begin, the crowd size has grown to hundreds. Among them is Lelouch Lam, 26, who is here to defend the universal value of human rights, saying he has seen how the police have abused their power in previous protests.
“Even if the government refuses to satisfy all of protesters’ demands, officials should at least give concrete reasons why,” he says. 
He is worried about being arrested but is determined to be part of the protest movement today, he adds.





Crowd gathers in Tsim Sha Tsui

A disappointed family finds their plan to go to mainland China and visit relatives has been ruined by the tightened security.
The man surnamed Zhu says they were not aware of the arrangement and only learned they could not buy tickets at the spot when they arrived.  
“We can only go back to our home in Sham Shui Po now. What else can we do?” he asks, adding they may come back tomorrow.



Family trip to mainland ruined

Some shops in Elements, a mega mall near the high-speed rail terminus and connecting to Kowloon Station, have closed shortly before the march is due to start. 
A member of staff from Chanel said they are still waiting for news but its neighbouring international cosmetic shops including Lancôme, Bobbi Brown and Giorgio Armani have brought their shutters down. 
Starbucks, a regular recent target of protesters, is also closed.





Shutting up shop in Elements mega mall

There are two waves of marchers on Nathan Road. One heads south to the original starting point while the other heads north.
 
There are two waves of marchers on Nathan Road. One is heading south to the original starting point while the other is heading north up Nathan Road.
  Video: SCMP/Linda Lew pic.twitter.com/0xCf8B0Tj6
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 20, 2019


Two-way march on Nathan Road

Protester Chow, 21, says he fears arrest but feels compelled to come out.
“To be honest, I am very afraid. But if I stay home, it means that I am backing down to the government,” he says.
“We can’t be scared.”



Marcher fears arrest but won't back down

In a statement, the police force say protesters who are blocking the carriageways on Nathan Road near Salisbury Road, are "participating in an unauthorised assembly".
The force calls on members of public to leave immediately and advises the drivers to stay tuned for the latest traffic arrangements.


Police statement warns of 'unauthorised assembly'

Protesters build barricades near Austin Station, at the junction of Austin Road and Canton Road.


They have also vandalised a lift inside the station.

Photos: Phila Siu


Roads blocked

A Best Mart 360 chain in Tsim Sha Tsui has been spray-painted with the slogans: "Chinese Communist Party will be destroyed by heaven" and "Liberate Hong Kong".
Other demonstrators open umbrellas to hide the identity of their peers.


Best Mart 360 spray-painted

Protesters have not stopped their march at the stated end point of West Kowloon station. They are heading north, towards Yau Ma Tei.


March heads north

Post photographer Felix Wong has captured the following images.





Scenes on Salisbury Road

The view of Nathan Road towards the intersection with Jordan Road.



Nathan Road fills up

Post snapper May Tse has captured the following images of Salisbury Road and Nathan Road.

 



Bird's eye view

Figo Chan Ho-wun, vice-convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front, whose application to hold the march was rejected by police, thanks Hongkongers who have taken to the streets.
Chan, who is there in a personal capacity, notes that more than 2,000 protesters have already been arrested. "I'm not afraid of arrest. I'm only worried people will give up," he says.
Ousted lawmaker "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung criticises the police's decision to object to the march, a move he says violates freedom of assembly, protected by the Basic Law, the city's de facto constitution.
"The authorities have forced Hongkongers to break the law," Leung says.


'The authorities have forced Hongkongers to break the law'

An Austrian businessman says he has walked for almost an hour from his hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui to the West Kowloon high-speed rail station, to catch a train to Guangzhou, mainland China.
"It’s horrible. For taxi it just takes five minutes. But they don’t pick us up and roads are blocked," says the man, who declines to give his name.

He is a usual traveller to Hong Kong for business, he says, adding that this is his worst experience of his previous 20 trips.
Asked his thoughts of the ongoing protests, he says: "I can’t comment as I am not living here ... Hong Kong is a beautiful city."
Photo: Kimmy Chung


Train pain

Protesters use an electric chainsaw to cut down a surveillance camera post, then set it on fire.
 
Protesters brought an electric chainsaw and cut down a surveillance camera post.
  Video: SCMP/Linda Lew pic.twitter.com/pm9K1oZGia
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 20, 2019


CCTV camera chopped down

A group of protesters has vandalised an exit of Yau Ma Tei station, spray-painting it and smashing windows.

Another group has forced open a shuttered Yoshinoya chain restaurant nearby. They removed planks put up to protect the store, after spray-painting slogans.

Similarly trashed was a Bestmart 360 store in Jordan. One demonstrator has put a notice on the gate which reads: "Protesters we are not stealing anything".

Bestmart 360, which has about 100 branches locally, has become a target of protesters who accuse it of having ties to “Fujian gangs” that have mounted attacks on protesters. It has denied the allegation.
Photos: Phila Siu, Winson Wong, Sam Tsang


Stores trashed

With only passengers already holding tickets allowed to enter the high-speed rail station in West Kowloon, other travellers hoping to go to the mainland head for the cross-border trains at Hung Hom station. 
But even that journey is a headache with the nearby Austin and Tsim Sha Tsui stations closed. 
One mainland Chinese man, who refuses to give his name, tries his luck for a bus but gets lost.
“Maybe I will just walk there. It's only 3km, it's not that far,” he says. 
Others who have just arrived in the city from the high-speed rail find the directions chaotic.
“Where should I go to take MTR? The staff didn’t tell me!” one woman complains.


More travel woes at West Kowloon

A protester throws a petrol bomb through a smashed window of Yau Ma Tei station.
The exit where the window was had already been closed, but not the whole station.
The MTR Corporation announces it will close the station, as firefighters arrive.


Petrol bomb thrown


The march passes a banner at the Eaton Hotel which, given the recent protest movement's revolutionary themes, seems apt.
Photo: Linda Lew


Fitting banner

Protesters vandalise a Bank of China ATM in Yau Ma Tei.


Photo: Phila Siu


ATM attacked

Rounds of tear gas have been fired from Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station, shortly after the black warning flag was raised.
Protesters throw the rounds back at the station.


Tear gas fired

Many protesters on the illegal march have paid no heed to the recent ban on masks. Post photographers Winson Wong and Felix Wong have captured the following pictures.






Masks out in force

The MTR Corporation says trains will not stop at either Yau Ma Tei or East Tsim Sha Tsui stations.
Austin and Tsim Sha Tsui stations remain closed.


Trains skip stations

A protester throws a petrol bomb into a Bank of China outlet on Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, after the shutters were prised open.
Petrol bombs have also been thrown into Mong Kok MTR station, through one of its exits. There is a large fire.



More petrol bombs

Protesters have scattered bricks in all lanes of Jordan Road, to block police vehicles from moving in.


They have also blocked exits of the underground tunnel at Jordan Road.


Photos: Kimmy Chung


Bricks in the road

The orange "Disperse or we shoot" flag has been raised at Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station.


'Disperse or we shoot'

According to the MTR website, Mong Kok, East Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Tei, Austin and Tsim Sha Tsui stations are closed and trains will not stop at those stations.


MTR update

A vehicle operated by the fire service is allowed past a protest roadblock only after it has been checked to make sure there is no police or police-related equipment on board.




Fire department vehicle searched

Prince Edward station is now closed.
That is in addition to Mong Kok, East Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Tei, Austin and Tsim Sha Tsui, making a total of six closed stations so far.


Closures go station to station

An electricity box on Nathan Road in Mong Kok is set on fire.



Electricity box blaze

Pictures from a little earlier, by Winson Wong, when protesters inside Bestmart 360 trashed the Yau Ma Tei store. 




Bestmart takes a beating

Protesters hurl petrol bombs at Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station, with flames briefly burning on the entrance gate.
Officers spray water from the station to battle the flames.
They urge all reporters to leave immediately, warning they will shoot at any time. 


Another petrol bomb

In Mong Kok, protesters break the barricades outside a Bank of China branch and throw a petrol bomb inside.

Photo: Phila Siu


Another Bank of China branch attacked

Protesters were seen throwing petrol bombs at the entrance to a police station in Tsim Sha Tsui.
  Video: SCMP/Kimmy Chung pic.twitter.com/rVdjCSM666
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 20, 2019


The scene at Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station

All of the current disturbances are happening along or just off Nathan Road, the main artery running through Kowloon. Protesters are in Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok.
In Yau Ma Tei, protesters are vandalising an office of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), the city's graft-buster. They smash surveillance cameras and pull down all the signs of the ICAC.


Up and down Nathan Road

A water cannon truck has arrived in Tsim Sha Tsui, heading north along Nathan Road in the direction of Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station, where there is a stand-off between officers and protesters.
It fires its blue-dyed water as it goes.
The dye is intended to make it easier to identify frontline protesters after the crowd has dispersed.


Water cannon in Tsim Sha Tsui

A 25-year-old protester, surnamed Tang, says protesters have resorted to heightened violence because the government has proved to them that peaceful protests do not work.
“Carrie Lam just won’t listen,” the bank worker says. “We must continue with our fight.”
He says he is not afraid of legal consequences.


'Carrie Lam just won't listen'

In a statement, police have said it would conduct dispersal and arrest operations soon, calling protesters rioters who have spray-painted and vandalised properties, as well as hurled petrol bombs into Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei and Austin MTR stations.  
The force says some protesters have also forced open the metal gate of a restaurant on Waterloo Road and threw items into the place, while others have broken into banks on Carnarvon Road and Nathan Road, setting fires within.           "Police now appeal to members of the public to stay tuned to the latest situation, keep windows closed, stay indoors and avoid travelling to the areas concerned," the statement says.


Police warn of dispersal ops and arrests soon

Police just fired more rounds of tear gas after protesters set bins on fire in Prince Edward near to a police station. "Let’s leave! Let them shoot tear gas!" some protesters chant.

 
Protesters are running through clouds of tear gas fired by police in Prince Edward.
  Video: SCMP/Phila Siu pic.twitter.com/kL3YYThVpB
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 20, 2019


More tear gas in Prince Edward

Water cannons have been seen firing blue dye at protesters.
  Video: SCMP/Kimmy Chung pic.twitter.com/Hz5xz4dlig
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 20, 2019


Blue dye fired from police water cannons on Nathan Road

More than 20 black-clad protesters have blocked Mong Kok Road and Tong Mi Road with steel fences, road signs and trash bins. Traffic has come to a standstill at the junction. After some negotiations with drivers, protesters open up a lane for vehicles to pass through. They then leave towards Yau Ma Tei after building road blocks. 



Roadblocks in Mong Kok

Here are some scenes of destruction in Kowloon this afternoon as an illegal march once again descends into chaos. Photos by Felix Wong and Winson Wong. 







Scenes of destruction

On Nathan Road in Yau Ma Tei, protesters are setting up roadblocks to slow down advancing police water cannons, while on Chatham Road outside Polytechnic University (bottom pic), another group is doing the same. In Mong Kok (second pic), protesters who have set up a roadblock are urging each other to tuck in their shirts, amid fears some among them are undercover officers who may be carrying concealed guns or batons. 





Barricades on Nathan, Chatham roads 

On Waterloo Road, the unrest continues with a massive fire now burning at a junction, as protesters continue to throw planks and traffic cones into the flames. 
Firefighters arrive soon to handle the situation. 



Massive fire on Waterloo Road, Yau Ma Tei

On Nathan Road in Mong Kok, some protesters have placed what appears to be small spikes on vehicle lanes to impede the progress of police. 



Spikes on road in Mong Kok

The orange "disperse or we shot" flag has been raised by officers inside Mong Kok Police Station. 


Orange warning flag raised from MK Police Station

A police water cannon and dozens of officers arrived in Mong Kok as protesters ran away from them.
  Video: SCMP/Phila Siu pic.twitter.com/nLG7OHZVaN
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 20, 2019


Water cannon in action 

Clashes have gradually died down in Tsim Sha Tsui as protesters retreat towards Mong Kok and Prince Edward following the deployment of police water cannons. Rounds of tear gas were earlier fired from Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station after protesters repeatedly hurled petrol bombs at it.
In Mong Kok, water cannon trucks, which have been firing jets of blue dye along Nathan Road, have arrived on the scene. There have been pockets of fires on roads around Yau Ma Tei after demonstrators lit up roadblocks.  
Seven MTR stations are now closed, with the latest being Jordan. The others are Tsim Sha Tsui, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Austin, Prince Edward, Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei. 



An overview

Police say two men have been arrested in Tai Po as weapons including 42 suspected petrol bombs and raw materials for creating paintballs were found in the trunk of two vehicles - a taxi and a 7-seater car - during a search.
Both men were arrested for "possession of an offensive weapon", on suspicion of "supplying weapons" to protesters in the Kowloon area. The suspects are aged 31 and 34.


Two arrested in Tai Po, 42 suspected petrol bombs found

Protesters have strewn bricks all over Argyle and Shanghai streets, waiting to see what riot police, who are not far away, would do. 
Meanwhile, at a junction of Nathan Road and Argyle Street, nearly 100 officers in riot gear are standing by with police vehicles and a water cannon. Traffic at the junction of Argyle and Tong Ming streets has come to a standstill as protesters set up barricades. 





Bricks all over Argyle, Shanghai streets

Police have fired several rounds of tear gas and other crowd control weapons at the junction of Nathan Road and Argyle Street. They raise the orange and black warning flags at protesters as tensions continue to escalate.



Tensions high on Argyle Street

Some masked protesters have forced open the shutters of a CMB Wing Lung Bank outlet in Prince Edward and vandalised it. They smash the glass windows with bricks and other hard objects.


Another bank vandalised

The MTR Corporation has announced that Lai Chi Kok station will shut down after someone hurled a petrol bomb down an exit. This brings the total tally of stations out of service today to eight. 
On Lai Chi Kok Road, traffic is disrupted as protesters set up road blocks. 



Lai Chi Kok MTR station closes

Mohammed Sadeque, 34, who came from Kolkata 12 years ago, says police sprayed blue dye at the Kowloon Mosque, and he appreciates fellow Hongkongers helping to clean up the coloured mess. He says he does not understand why dye was sprayed on the religious building as there were not many people around. 

 
People clean blue dye that was sprayed at Kowloon Mosque
  Video: SCMP/Karen Yeung pic.twitter.com/FNlrQ33VdH
  — SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) October 20, 2019


Mosque clean-up

The MTR has announced that it will suspend services between Lai King and Central on the Tsuen Wan line. Other stops out of action are: Lai Chi Kok, Cheung Sha Wan, Sham Shui Po, Prince Edward, Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei, Jordan, Tsim Sha Tsui, Admiralty and Central.
Trains running between Tsuen Wan and Lai King will continue.


MTR services between Lai King and Central suspended

A large crowd of protesters in Jordan is marching towards Mong Kok, with some saying their target is Mong Kok Police Station in Prince Edward. Many of them came from earlier clashes at Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station. 



Large crowd possibly headed for Mong Kok Police Station

Hundreds of protesters are now in Sham Shui Po and are heading north along Tai Po Road. 



Hundreds converge on Sham Shui Po, head north

In a statement, the government has announced that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor would leave for Tokyo on Monday to attend the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito to be held the next day.
Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung would be the acting chief executive until Lam returns on Tuesday evening.


Carrie Lam to leave for Tokyo for emperor's ceremony

Protesters who have vandalised certain properties have pasted posters explaining their acts. Next to a smashed ATM at a Bank of China branch in Yau Ma Tei, a message reads: "They provide funds to the Chinese Communist Party for its suppression of human rights." It also states: "We never rob." Similar messages are seen outside a vandalised Best Mart 360 outlet. Such posters are part of protesters' bid to gain international support for their cause. 


At a Bank of East Asia outlet in Mong Kok, which was also trashed, protesters have spray-painted: "Sorry." The bank is one of the few local ones in Hong Kong, but was mistaken for a mainland Chinese-linked company. 
