Protesters Occupy Hong Kong International Airport

By: Tarik Johnson

Unrest continued in Hong Kong for the tenth straight weekend as protesters gathered in several downtown districts where clashes with police have escalated further.

On Friday, protesters organized a sit-in at one of the busiest airports in the world, Hong Kong International. All departing flights were canceled, and more than 70 arriving flights were also stopped. In the evening, the airport was filled with confused and frustrated travelers who weren't sure if their flights had been canceled or not. Thousands of protesters in the airport arrival hall warned arriving travelers, "Don't trust the police," and held up images of bloody clashes between protesters and riot police. Some shouted, "turn back," while others apologized for the inconvenience.

On Saturday, young demonstrators blocked a vital tunnel under Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor, barricading a traffic intersection and setting fires outside a police station in a shopping district popular with tourists.

The protests on Sunday started peacefully in Victoria Park located in the North end of Hong Kong Island and were authorized by the police. However, demonstrators defied protocol by going west instead of east and clogged a major thoroughfare, stopping traffic and splintering in different directions.

Some protesters attempted to approach the headquarters of the Hong Kong police, west of Victoria Park, but retreated when officers charged at them and fired tear gas in Wan Chai, a downtown neighborhood popular with expatriates. The police said that protesters threw gasoline bombs at officers in the area. Footage from Twitter shows riot police firing rifles at close range at a crowd of demonstrators who seem to be retreating. The police said in a statement that some protesters had been hurling bricks at officers, “posing a threat to the safety of everyone at the scene.”

A few districts north, television footage showed police officers firing tear gas into the Kwai Fong subway station, near a police station where protesters had gathered. This seemed to be the first time that the police had resorted to that tactic in an effort to clear demonstrators.

Demonstrators were angered by reports that a female protester could lose an eye after she was reportedly hit with a beanbag round during a protest.

Authorities have begun emphasizing the damage to the city’s economy, already buffeted by China’s slowdown and the U.S.-China trade war. Cathay Pacific, the world's tenth largest airline, warned staff they could be fired if they "support or participate in illegal protests" in Hong Kong, as pressure from Beijing intensifies.

On Friday, China ordered the airline to suspend workers who support pro-democracy protests in the territory. Cathay fired two employees and suspended one pilot over the weekend in response to the order. Cathay Pacific is now subject to new regulations announced last week by Beijing's aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), which came into effect on Sunday. These require it to submit lists of staff working on flights going to the mainland or through its airspace. Fuelled by China's state-run press, a boycott campaign on social media using the hashtag #BoycottCathayPacific has attracted more than 17 million views.

Beijing warned that escalating violence by anti-government protesters in Hong Kong, especially against the police, was showing “signs of terrorism” and reiterated its support for the city’s force to take resolute action to crack down on “rioters.” Yang Guang, a spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) under the State Council, read out a statement to Hong Kong media in Beijing, saying, “In recent days, Hong Kong’s radical protesters have repeatedly attacked police with highly dangerous tools, which constitute serious violent crimes and have started to show signs of terrorism.” Yang said. “This type of violent criminal activity must be resolutely combated according to the law, with no hesitation or mercy.”

Footage showing Chinese military trucks gathering in Futian, Shenzhen, located directly above Hong Kong has prompted many to question where the vehicles are going. Beijing-based military specialist Zhou Chenming said the armed police were taking part in regular drills and people should not feel nervous.