Hong Kong: Protestors clash with riot police in a rally held in support of Uighur Muslims

A rally organized in Hong Kong in support of China’s ethnic Uighurs turned violent and clashes broke out between the police and protestors. The peaceful rally in which hundreds of people participated became chaotic as the protestors uprooted the Chinese national flag from a pole in Edinburgh Place, Central.

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Riot Police outnumbered

The riot police who arrived at the scene to control the situation found themselves outnumbered and surrounded by the demonstrators. The protestors threw plastic water bottles and other objects at the riot police. The officers in response attacked the demonstrators with pepper spray. 

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China has been accused of a mass crackdown against ethnic Uygurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang with the United Nations and activists claiming that at least 1 million of them have been held in detention centers which China claims them to be training centers to weed out extremism and help people with skill enhancement. 

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Hong Kong which is a semi-autonomous region but falls under China has been under a series of protests since as early as June wherein demonstrations have been held on a regular basis of which many have turned violent leading to an emergency like situation. The protests are an ongoing series of demonstrations in Hong Kong triggered by the introduction of the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill by the Hong Kong government. If enacted, the bill would have allowed the extradition of criminal fugitives who are wanted in territories with which Hong Kong does not currently have extradition agreements, including Taiwan and mainland China. This led to concerns that the bill would subject Hong Kong residents and visitors to the jurisdiction and legal system of mainland China, thereby undermining the region's autonomy and Hong Kong people's civil liberties.

(With ANI Inputs)

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