Donald Trump says Xi Jinping ‘acted responsibly’ in Hong Kong extradition bill protests
- US leader says China could stop demonstrations ‘if they wanted’
- Dozens of protesters left hurt by a mob of attackers in Yuen Long
After a night of violent unrest in Hong Kong that left dozens of protesters hurt by a mob of attackers, US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Chinese President Xi Jinping had acted “responsibly” in allowing the demonstrations to continue.
“I’m not involved in it very much but I think President Xi of China has acted responsibly, very responsibly,” Trump told reporters in the White House when asked about the previous night’s violence. “They’ve been out there protesting for a long time.”
Seven weeks of demonstrations against proposed changes to Hong Kong’s extradition laws have been punctuated by violent clashes between protesters and police, fuelling Hongkongers’ anger at the city government, whose embattled leader continues to resist calls to resign.
But events took a bloody turn on Sunday night when a horde of men, dressed in white and brandishing poles and bats, unleashed an apparently coordinated attack on protesters, journalists and passers-by in Yuen Long, leaving at least 45 people injured.
The Hong Kong police force has come under renewed criticism over the attack and the revelation that officers did not reach the scene of the violence until 35 minutes after the rampage was reported.
