Hong Kong riot police fire tear gas at protesters

Riot police mobilized to clear protesters from the interior of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council and the surrounding streets late on Monday, July 1, after a chaotic day that saw the headquarters of the city’s government occupied and vandalized.

This footage, taken shortly before midnight, shows a long line of police in riot gear facing off with protesters and using tear gas near the Legislative Council (LegCo) building, which protesters broke into earlier that day, smashing glass and vandalizing the building’s interior.

According to the South China Morning Post, protesters had been cleared from LegCo by around 1 am on Tuesday.

At least 38 men and 16 women were taken to hospital as a result of injuries they suffered during clashes on Monday night.

Fernando Cheung, a local pro-democracy Labour Party lawmaker who was inside LegCo as it was occupied, alleged that police could have stopped the protesters earlier, but allowed they them to storm the building in order to turn public sentiment against them.

Hong Kong protests against the controversial bill that would allow fugitives to be extradited to mainland China reignited on Monday, the 22nd anniversary of the handover of the former British colony to China. Credit: Hong Kong Hermit via Storyful