Defiant Rally, Marathon Stand-off In Tin Shui Wai

A group of protesters and local residents were locked in a marathon stand-off with police in Tin Shui Wai on Saturday, with both sides standing their ground for hours despite rain and nightfall.

The stand-off started around 5pm after anti-extradition bill protesters defied a police ban on a rally and marched in support of the demands of the anti-extradition bill campaigners.

They were stopped at Tin Shui Road and most dispersed after a few tense moments. But dozens of protesters retreated to a footbridge and continued shouting slogans at police who were stationed a few metres away. Soon the bridge was filled with onlookers and residents of the area.

As the hours stretched into the night, scores of riot police arrived near the Chung Fu light rail stop on Tin Shui Road, after a group of protesters dressed in black used makeshift barricades to block Tin Wah Road.

Teams of officers soon cleared the roads, but was shouted at by a group of onlookers, who wanted the police to leave. Meanwhile some people from a nearby carpark used their laser pointers to taunt the police at a nearby intersection, who returned the compliments by turning on their lights towards them.

The crowd on the bridge stayed steadfast despite police warning to disperse, saying it was an unauthorised assembly.

As the situation continued into the night, police issued a statement saying the protesters had carried out illegal acts like "blocking part of the carriageways of Tin Wah Road and Tin Shui Road in Tin Shui Wai area and setting up barricades with trash, seriously paralysing the traffic".

They also warned drivers to be aware of disruptions in the area.

But around 8.30pm, the situation eased with a group of riot police leaving and the crowd on the bridge also beginning to disperse, ending the day without tear gas and rubber bullets that had become a weekend staple since the protests started in June.

But still there were clashes and Hospital Authority said 25 were hospitalised on Saturday.

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