Riot police fire tear gas to disperse Hong Kong protesters

By Jessie Yeung and Ben Westcott, CNN

Updated 1:50 p.m. ET, August 3, 2019
66 Posts
Sort byDropdown arrow
1:49 p.m. ET, August 3, 2019

Here's a rundown of today's protests

The protests in Hong Kong's Kowloon district have wrapped up on this ninth consecutive weekend of mass demonstrations.

Here's what happened today:

  • Rival protests: There was the main anti-extradition bill, anti-government march in Kowloon, and a smaller pro-police assembly in Causeway Bay's Victoria Park that ended in the late afternoon.
  • Illegal assembly: The Kowloon march began in Mong Kok, but instead of finishing at the designated end point, protesters continued to Nathan Road. By deviating from the police-approved route, the march became an illegal assembly.
  • Siege on police station: The protests quickly got ugly as night fell, with protesters surrounding and vandalizing the Tsim Sha Tsui police station. They broke car windows, lit a blaze outside the station, threw eggs, shone laser pointers at officers' faces, and graffitied obscenities onto the station walls.
  • Showdown with police: Riot police were mobilized in the evening. Things got tense, with police firing tear gas and protesters throwing bricks, but the roads were cleared by 11:30 p.m.
1:01 p.m. ET, August 3, 2019

Police in Wong Tai Sin were driven into a police station by protesters

From CNN's Ivan Watson

Angry protesters forced a group of police to retreat behind the walls of a police station in Wong Tai Sin.

The protesters, who vastly outnumbered the police, were throwing projectiles like water bottles and rocks at the officers. Some of them vandalized the outside walls of the station with graffiti.

Police fired tear gas after futile attempts to disperse a crowd of protesters, they said in a statement.

"Police also appeal to the residents in the area to stay tuned to the latest situation and if necessary, stay indoors and keep their windows closed," the statement added.

Watch the scene here:

12:15 p.m. ET, August 3, 2019

Police have fired tear gas in Wong Tai Sin

Dozens of protesters are locked in a standoff with riot police who have deployed tear gas near a bus terminal in Wong Tai Sin. Police appear to be surrounded by protesters.

Some scuffles broke out earlier in that area, with protesters throwing umbrellas and other projectiles at police, footage from local media showed.

11:58 a.m. ET, August 3, 2019

The protests seem to be wrapping up in Kowloon

Police on Nathan Road, which has largely been cleared of protesters.
Police on Nathan Road, which has largely been cleared of protesters. Jo Shelley/CNN

After a long day of protesting, most people in Kowloon are heading home. They are catching the last trains -- nobody wants to be stranded, or risk being cornered by police.

There were reports earlier tonight that the protesters were heading to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, potentially to block vehicles traveling between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, but the tunnel is now open and running as usual.

The roads that had been occupied earlier are now also largely clear.

Footage from local media show some scuffles breaking out in a different section of Kowloon -- Wong Tai Sin. Protesters there are throwing umbrellas and other projectiles at police, who seem to be retreating.

11:38 a.m. ET, August 3, 2019

Nathan Road is clear as protesters regroup at the Polytechnic University

Nathan Road is largely cleared of protesters after they occupied it for most of the afternoon
Nathan Road is largely cleared of protesters after they occupied it for most of the afternoon Jo Shelley/CNN

Nathan Road, the major artery in Hong Kong's Kowloon district, is clear now as we approach midnight local time.

It had been blocked earlier this afternoon as protesters stopped traffic and cut cables for traffic lights on the road.

Now, the road is clear with no protesters, all the way from the Jordan subway station to Mong Kok Road -- a solid 15 to 20 blocks where the action had been taking place.

The last stragglers, a few hundred protesters, are now gathering at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

11:34 a.m. ET, August 3, 2019

Police are frustrated and angry after nine straight weeks of protests

This is the ninth straight weekend of protests in Hong Kong -- and police, who have been deployed to respond each weekend, after already having worked weekday protests in some cases, are showing signs of strain.

"The police are frustrated," said CNN International Correspondent Matt Rivers, citing a confrontation two weeks ago when the police shouted back at a female protester.

"Frankly, it was not a professional scene among that police force. But it was also kind of a human scene, in some ways, where you saw the police expressing their frustration, basically telling the woman to shut up.
Night after night, they're out here, sweating, full riot gear. They don't necessarily agree with what the protesters are doing, they don't like the fact that they're firing tear gas in their own city in an unprecedented way. So there is frustration on both sides, but these protesters are going to keep coming out here because they believe that none of their demands have been addressed, and until they are, I don't see how this stops," Rivers said.

Watch the scene here:

11:19 a.m. ET, August 3, 2019

Trains are skipping two Kowloon stations

Trains running on the Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong subway lines have been modified by police request to clear the protests.

Normal service trains will not stop at the Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok stations, but additional trains will be arranged to help passengers at those stations leave.

11:17 a.m. ET, August 3, 2019

Business owners face empty shops and restaurants on Saturday night as protests rage

As protesters and police clash in Kowloon, business owners are taking a big hit.

A restaurant owner told CNN his establishment was empty -- on Saturday night, which should be the busiest time of the week. He doesn't support the protesters, but his relatives do -- exemplifying the deep social divide that has torn apart some Hong Kong families in the past two months.

Business leaders in the are city complaining of an economic toll due to the near-continuous protests, citing a decrease in retail sales compared to this time a year ago.

Watch the clip here:

11:00 a.m. ET, August 3, 2019

The ground is littered with tear gas canisters and casings

Tear gas casings on Nathan Road.
Tear gas casings on Nathan Road. Ben Westcott/CNN

As riot police fire tear gas at crowds of protesters, they're leaving gas canisters and casings strewn on the street along Nathan Road.

The protesters and police are back to a tense stand-off, after charging protesters were pushed back by the gas.

Tear gas canisters on Nathan Road.
Tear gas canisters on Nathan Road. Ben Westcott/CNN