Hong Kong protests: more than 360 arrested as thousands take to streets to oppose new laws concerning Chinese sovereignty
- Diehard protesters continued to play cat and mouse with police late into the night, while radicals threw gas canisters into a fire, causing explosions
- Heavy police presence on streets throughout the day as lawmakers discuss bill that criminalises insults to March of the Volunteers
Young pupils in school uniform were among those taken away in pre-emptive strikes on banned gatherings as police, out in force to head off wider chaos, arrested anti-government protesters for offences including unlawful assembly and possession of weapons.
03:06
Hong Kong police fire pepper rounds at protesters opposing national anthem law
Diehard protesters continued to play cat and mouse with police late into the night in the streets of Mong Kok, and radicals disrupted traffic with road blocks, set debris alight, and at one point threw gas canisters into a fire, causing a series of explosions.
The show of defiance came as lawmakers began a four-day debate over the national anthem law at the Legislative Council. Voting on the bill, which would criminalise insults to March of the Volunteers, the national anthem of the People's Republic of China, including Hong Kong and Macau, is expected to take place on June 4.
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Hong Kong police chase and detain protester
But most of the anger was driven by Beijing’s plan to press ahead with a tailor-made national security law for Hong Kong. The National People’s Congress is to vote on Thursday on a resolution prohibiting acts of secession, subversion, terrorism or conspiracy with foreign influences in the city, before sending it to the NPC Standing Committee to craft the finer details.
The proposed resolution was amended on Tuesday to expand its scope to prohibit “activities” that would “seriously endanger national security”, sources told the South China Morning Post.
