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> 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> 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> At least 45 people have been injured, one critically, after dozens of masked men attacked pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong. The protests against a Chinese extradition bill have been ongoing for seven weeks, but this is the first time this kind of violence has been seen, the BBC reports. The masked men were dressed in white shirts and are reportedly suspected to be triad gangsters. They attacked protesters and passers-by with wooden and metal rods inside a train station. In a statement, the government said: “This is absolutely unacceptable to Hong Kong as a society that observes the rule of law. The SAR [Special Administrative Region] Government strongly condemns any violence and will seriously take enforcement actions.” </s> A Hong Kong police officer fired at least one gunshot Sunday, the first time a live round has been used during three months of protests.

Violent clashes broke out between protesters and police in Tsuen Wan, around 10 kilometres (six miles) from central Hong Kong, after a rally at a nearby sports stadium attracted thousands of people.

"According to my understanding, just now a gunshot was fired by a colleague... My initial understanding was that it was a uniformed policeman who fired his gun," a Hong Kong police officer told reporters.

Hong Kong police also used water cannon for the first time Sunday, raising the stakes against protesters who have staged sometimes violent rallies that have rocked the city for the past three months.

Officers were seen with drawn sidearms as protesters clashed with police in the district of Tsuen Wan after a rally at a nearby sports stadium.

The financial hub has been gripped by mass rallies that were initially against a proposed extradition bill to China, but have spun into a wider pro-democracy movement targeting the pro-Beijing government.

As thousands of people marched in the pouring rain to Tsuen Wan, a group of hardcore protesters erected makeshift roadblocks and dug up bricks from the pavements.

After firing tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowds, police drove water cannon vehicles onto the streets, unfurling signs warning protesters they would deploy the jets if they did not leave.

The jets were later fired from the moving trucks towards a crowd of protesters who ran away, but hardcore group of protesters later threw bricks and Molotov cocktails in violent confrontations with riot police.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Police had previously said the vehicles, complete with surveillance cameras and multiple spray nozzles, would only be used in the event of a "large-scale public disturbance".

Throughout the protests, Beijing has used a mix of intimidation, propaganda and economic muscle to constrict the protests in a strategy dubbed "white terror" by the movement.

The MTR -- the city's metro -- is the latest Hong Kong enterprise to face public censure, after appearing to bend to Chinese state-media attacks accusing the transport system of being an "exclusive" service to ferry protesters to rallies.

On Sunday the MTR shut stations near the main demonstration area in Tsuen Wan, in the second day of station closures in-a-row.

"However bleak our future is, we're trying to express ourselves rationally," said Peter, in his 20s, before the clashes began.

"We have faith in ourselves and we have faith in our city that some day our demands will be answered."

A second rally in the afternoon of a few hundred people -- some of them family members of police -- criticised the government for leaving officers to handle the brunt of the crisis, while also calling for an independent investigation into the police handling of the protests.

"I believe within these two months, police have got enough opprobrium," said a woman who asked not to be named and said she was a police officer's wife.

The city's officers are often the focus of protesters' anger because of their perceived heavy handling of the rallies.

Ten people were left in hospital after Saturday's clashes -- two in a serious condition -- staff said, without detailing if they were police or protesters.

On Saturday police baton-charged protesters and fired tear gas, while demonstrators threw rocks and bottles later into the night in a working-class neighbourhood.

Protesters say Hong Kong's unique freedoms are in jeopardy as Beijing tightens its political chokehold on the semi-autonomous city.

The city had appeared to have pulled back from a sharp nosedive into violence, with the last serious confrontation taking place more than a week ago, shortly after protests paralysed the airport.

Get Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates. </s> HONG KONG: At least 45 people were injured, with one person in critical condition, after a group of masked men attacked anti-government protesters and commuters at a Hong Kong train station on Sunday night (Jul 21), according to the city's hospital authorities.



The group, many wielding sticks and clad in white T-shirts, flooded into a Mass Transit Railway (MTR) station in the rural Yuen Long district, storming a train and attacking passengers, according to footage taken by commuters and opposition lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting.



Footage from the attack broadcast live on Facebook showed people screaming as the men beat multiple protesters and journalists in the station, leaving pools of blood on the floor.

Critics rounded on the city's embattled police force, accusing officers of taking more than an hour to reach the station despite frantic calls from those under attack and then failing to arrest the armed men who stayed in the streets around the station into Monday morning.

Some men in white shirts were later filmed leaving the scene in cars with Chinese mainland number plates.

Lam, a pro-democracy lawmaker, was one of those wounded in the melee, sustaining lacerations to his face and arms. He criticised police for their response and accused "triad members" of being behind the attacks.

"Their very barbaric and violent acts have already completely violated the bottom line of Hong Kong's civilised society," he told reporters early on Monday.



"Is Hong Kong now allowing triads to do what they want, beating up people on the street with weapons?"



Nathan Law, a prominent pro-democracy activist, added on Twitter: "When the Chinese mobs are attacking the citizens, no law enforcement are there. Shame on the government."

The clashes have ratcheted up fears that the city's feared triad gangs are wading into the political conflict.

Yuen Long lies in the New Territories near the Chinese border where the criminal gangs and staunchly pro-Beijing rural committees remain influential.

Similar assaults by pro-government vigilantes against demonstrators during the 2014 "Umbrella Movement" protests were blamed on triads.

READ: Tear gas and rubber bullets fired as Hong Kong returns to chaos



As the mob rampage unfolded in Yuen Long, police were simultaneously battling hardcore democracy protesters in the middle of the city's commercial district.

Riot officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets at anti-government protesters, hours after China's office in the city was daubed with eggs and graffiti in a vivid rebuke to Beijing's rule.

Another 13 people were injured after the clashes on Hong Kong island, one seriously, the Hospital Authority said.

In a statement on Monday, police "strongly condemned" both the violent incidents in Yuen Long and Hong Kong island, and said they were investigating both cases. Police added no arrests had been made at the station or during a follow-up search of a nearby village.



Yau Nai-keung, Yuen Long assistant district police commander, told reporters that an initial police patrol had to wait for more reinforcements given a situation involving more than 100 people.

He added police saw no weapons when they arrived although eyewitnesses said they saw groups of men in white with poles and bamboo staves at a nearby village.



"We can't say you have a problem because you are dressed in white and we have to arrest you. We will treat them fairly no matter which camp they are in," Yau said.



Some police had been injured in the clashes after protesters hurled bricks, smoke grenades and petrol bombs, the statement said.

READ: What lies ahead for Hong Kong, a city on edge



Hong Kong has been plunged into its worst crisis in recent history by weeks of marches and sporadic violent confrontations between police and pockets of hardcore protesters.

The initial protests were lit by a now-suspended Bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.

But they have since evolved into a wider movement calling for democratic reforms, universal suffrage and a halt to sliding freedoms in the semi-autonomous territory.

The city's parliament was trashed by protesters earlier this month, as Beijing's authority faces its most serious challenge since Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997. </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> Hong Kong: A mob of masked men armed with batons stormed a train station in the Hong Kong district of Yuen Long. Footage posted on social media showed the men, all in white T-shirts, violently attacking people on platforms and inside train carriages, the BBC reported.

At least 36 people were injured in the violence on Sunday, according to local media reports. The mob attack followed the latest pro-democracy rally in the centre of Hong Kong, where riot police had fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters.

It is unclear who the mob were or what the motives for the attack were. In a statement, the government said that in Yuen Long "some people congregated at the platforms of the MTR station and train compartments, attacking commuters".

"This is absolutely unacceptable to Hong Kong as a society that observes the rule of law. The SAR (Special Administrative Region) government strongly condemns any violence and will seriously take enforcement actions."

Hong Kong Police also said: "Some people attacked commuters at the platforms of the Yuen Long MTR station and train compartments, resulting in multiple injuries."

The mob stormed Yuen Long MTR station at about 10.30 p.m., hours after clashes between protesters and police in the Sheung Wan area earlier in the day. Yuen Long is a more remote district of Hong Kong, and is far away from the site of the main pro-democracy protests.

Riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in Hong Kong at a large pro-democracy rally, and charged demonstrators who threw objects at police lines.

The protest route was altered with protesters told to stop at Wan Chai rather than Central, where the key government offices are located. Some 4,000 police officers were deployed. </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.
At least 10 people are injured after fireworks were shot from a moving car into a crowd of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.