Protesters blockade universities, business district as chaos grips Hong Kong

SUMMARY

Hong Kong anti-government protesters paralysed parts of the Asian financial hub for a third day on Wednesday, with some transport links, schools and many businesses closing as police warned of a rise in violence to a deadly level.

By ReutersNov 13, 2019 5:04:08 PM IST (Published)

Anti-government protesters react during a standoff with riot police at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Hong Kong anti-government protesters paralysed parts of the Asian financial hub for a third day on Wednesday, with some transport links, schools and many businesses closing as police warned of a rise in violence to a deadly level. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Fire burns after anti-government protesters threw Molotov cocktails at the MTR University station during a protest at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. About 1,000 protesters blocked roads in the heart of the city's Central business district at lunchtime. Wearing now-banned face masks and dressed in office wear, they marched and hurled bricks onto roads lined with some of the world's most expensive real estate and luxury flagship stores. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Anti-government protesters take cover during a standoff with riot police at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "It's now 1989 4th June," was scrawled on the windows of fashion store Georgio Armani, a reference to the crackdown by Chinese troops on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Anti-government protesters take cover during a standoff with riot police at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Protesters and police had battled through Tuesday night at university campuses only hours after a senior police officer said the Chinese-ruled city had been pushed to the "brink of a total breakdown". REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

An anti-government protester uses a slingshot during a standoff with riot police at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Protesters are angry about what they see as police brutality and meddling by Beijing in the freedoms guaranteed under the "one country, two systems" formula put in place when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. China denies interfering and has blamed Western countries, including Britain and the United States, for stirring up trouble. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

A man tries to extinguish a burning Christmas tree at Festival Walk mall in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. Many campuses remained tense on Wednesday with students setting up barricades. Some perched on bridges to keep guard while others checked people coming in. Rows of riot police, some in trucks, watched the students but did not try to breakthrough. The protests typically get more violent as night falls. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

A protester walks at the occupied campus of the Chinese University in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's Education Bureau said all schools would shut on Thursday. Several universities said they would be introducing online learning and other assessment methods for the remaining weeks of the term. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Molotov cocktails are pictured at the campus of the Chinese University in Hong Kong. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

A protester holds a shield on a barricade at the Chinese University in Hong Kong. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Riot police officers detain a protester during an anti-government demonstration in the Central district of Hong Kong. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha