COUNTRY IN CHAOS
Car rams protesters in Hong Kong as 100 flights are cancelled and roads are blocked off while riots continue
A CAR has rammed through a protest barrier in Hong Kong as the city descends further into chaos.
One person was injured when the motor thundered through the barrier in Yuen Long in the New Territories area of the city.
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Horrifying footage on social media showed the car reversing before barrelling forward and slamming through the barrier outside the Yoho Mall.
Protesters were trying to stop the car with scores pushing back against the barrier as the minivan spun its wheels.
After a few second the driver whacked the car into reverse, backing up a few feet, and then blasting through, sending protesters flying.
Witnesses said a driver was stopped at a roadblock set by protesters near the Yoho Mall in Yuen Long. After an argument with protesters, the driver got back in his car and protesters tried to push against the vehicle to prevent him from leaving.
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"REVOLUTION OF OUR TIMES"
“The driver ignored them and continued to accelerate,” said Derek Man, who was on the road at the time, with the protesters. “The tyres emitted a lot of white smoke. The vehicle broke through the barrier and knocked down one person and then he left the scene.”
Chaos is rocking through Hong Kong with persistent rioting a general strike hitting the former British outpost.
Civil servants from more than 30 government departments, as well as pilots, teachers, construction workers, engineers, and aviation staff all pledged to walk out today.
More than 200 flights in and out of the country were cancelled and part of the city’s MTR metro system also ground to a halt.
GENERAL STRIKE
Several lines of the MTR, the rail network serving Hong Kong, were suspended as protesters, many wearing face masks and black clothing, blocked the doors of trains, preventing them departing the stations.
There were also reports of discarded umbrellas being wedged in train doors to prevent them from closing.
Droves of protesters filled public parks and squares in several Hong Kong districts on Monday in a general strike staged on a weekday to draw more attention to their demands that the semi-autonomous Chinese city's leader resign.
Police deployed tear gas in the Wong Tai Sin district, the scene of clashes with protesters over the weekend.
At the legislative complex, other protesters spray-painted the words "dog officials" and pasted yellow banners on the gates opposing an extradition bill.
They have painted "Revolution of our Times" on one side of the building's exterior.
The city’s leader Carrie Lam maintained that she has no plans to resign in the face of the turbulent pro-democracy movement.
What is Hong Kong's extradition bill and why are people protesting against it?
Campaigners in Hong Kong are continuing to protest against a controversial extradition law, despite their leader Carrie Lam suspending the bill.
This potential legislation would pave the way for fugitives wanted by mainland China to be sent across the border for trial for the first time.
The bill, if it became law, would make it possible for mainland Chinese courts to ask Hong Kong courts to freeze and confiscate assets related to crimes committed in the mainlain.
The Hong Kong government initially launched the proposals in February.
It proposed sweeping changes that would simplify case-by-case extraditions of criminal suspects to countries beyond the 20 with which Hong Kong has existing extradition treaties.
The bill explicitly allows extraditions from Hong Kong to greater China - including the mainland, Taiwan and Macau - for the first time.
This would close what Hong Kong government officials have repeatedly described as a “loophole” that they claim has allowed the city to become a haven for criminals from the mainland.
Schools, lawyers and church groups have joined human rights groups to protest the measures.
The government then moved to fast-track the bill by scrapping legislative procedures, which stoked outrage among opponents.
Then, in a dramatic retreat, Lam delayed indefinitely the proposed law in early June, after widespread anger sparked the biggest street protests in three decades.
Opponents of the bill see it as a threat to the rule of law in the former British colony and would put them at the mercy of China’s justice system where human rights are not guaranteed.
Protesters are demanding the bill be completely scrapped - which is why protests have not yet stopped.
Hong Kong is on "the verge of a very dangerous situation," Lam said. She said current protests were operating with "ulterior motives" that threaten Hong Kong's prosperity and security.
"I don't think at this point in time, resignation of myself or some of my colleagues would provide a better solution," she said at a news conference.
The strike is the latest development in a summer of fiery demonstrations that began in June against proposed extradition legislation that would have allowed some criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China to stand trial.
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While the government has since suspended the bill, protesters have pressed on with broader calls for democratic reforms and an investigation into alleged police brutality.
A former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under the framework of "one country, two systems," which promised the city certain democratic freedoms not afforded to the mainland.
But some Hong Kong residents feel that Beijing has been increasingly encroaching on their freedoms.
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Black car shoots flaming fireworks at hundreds of Hong Kong protestors injuring multiple people
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