HONG KONG — Hong Kong police fired water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters, after alleged petrol bombs and rocks were thrown at government buildings on Sunday.
According to the Guardian, tens of thousands of demonstrators defied a police ban and marched, calling for greater democracy in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
The Guardian reports that hundreds of protesters splintered off from the march and surrounded the Chinese People's Army base in the Admiralty district.
Reuters reports that some protesters threw bricks and molotov cocktails at police and took down. They also set fire to a red banner proclaiming the 70th anniversary on Oct. 1 of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
According to the Guardian, this prompted riot police to fire multiple rounds of tear gas as well as a water cannon the covered demonstrators in blue dye, to help identify protesters in order to be arrested later.
According to Reuters, the water cannon truck later caught fire after being hit by a petrol bomb.
Reuters reports that protesters are upset about what they see as increasing interference from Beijing into the city's affairs.
The spark for the protests was a planned extradition bill, which has now been scrapped, that would have allowed for people to be sent to China for trial.
According to Reuters, the protests have since broadened into calls for universal suffrage.
According to the Guardian, Sunday's clashes between police and protesters marks the 15th consecutive weekend of mass protests in Hong Kong.
