Hong Kong police fired tear gas against protesters for the third day in a row on Monday, as people rallied in multiple districts during a city-wide general strike.
Thousands of protesters on Monday took part in labour action to express discontent against Chief Executive Carrie Lam and her administration. Eight separate rallies were organised across the city, most of which began at 1pm.
Police fired multiple rounds of tear gas in Tin Shui Wai at around 2:30pm against protesters outside the local police station. Demonstrators were angry over how police handled a female arrestee the day before.
Separately, protesters attending a rally in Wong Tai Sin took over a section of the nearby Lung Cheung Road after 3pm.
Protesters threw umbrellas and debris at riot police who arrived on the scene. Pepper spray and tear gas was deployed at around 3:30pm.
Shortly before 4pm, riot police in Tai Po used tear gas against demonstrators gathered near the local police station, after crowds threw debris at officers.
They were planning to gather for a rally at the Tin Hau Temple Fung Shui Square, but some moved to the local police station in the mid-afternoon as the square filled up.
HKFP has noted the following over the past few hours:
– Road occupations & tear gas in Tai Po, Tin Shui Wai & Wong Tai Sin.
– Road occupations in Sha Tin, Mong Kok, Admiralty and Tsuen Wan.
– Protest rallies in Tuen Mun & at the airport.
— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) August 5, 2019
Meanwhile on Hong Kong Island, hundreds of protesters in Admiralty took over Harcourt Road at around 3pm.
Police fired tear gas near government headquarters shortly after 4:30pm.
Rallies and road occupations
Separate road occupations also took place in Sha Tin, Mong Kok and Tsuen Wan on Monday afternoon.
The four street protests grew out of rallies held nearby, and have not yet been cleared by police as of 4:30pm.
Other protest rallies included events in Tuen Mun and the Hong Kong International Airport.
Earlier in the day, parts of the city’s transport infrastructure came to a halt after protesters blocked MTR train doors and flights were cancelled.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam disapproved of the strike on Monday morning, saying that it affected the livelihood of grassroots families and infringed on people’s right to work.
