Government Condemns 'outrageous' Violence

The government issued a statement early Tuesday morning “strongly condemning” protesters who attacked police, set fires, blocked roads, and disrupted train services as part of what a spokesman described as an “outrageous” escalation of violence.

He said “the protesters’ organised acts disregarded the law and order, deprived the right of other members of the public to go to work and carry on their daily lives, and seriously affected economic activities.”

The spokesman noted that there was another instance of someone ripping a national flag from its post and tossing it into the sea, describing the act as a blatant challenge to China’s authority over Hong Kong.

He added that the protesters had placed some objects on train tracks as part of efforts to cause transport chaos, saying this had put passenger safety at risk.

“The incrementally spreading and rapidly escalating violence is outrageous, and is pushing Hong Kong to the verge of a very dangerous situation”, the spokesman said, in a repeat of the same warning issued on Monday by the Chief Executive, Carrie Lam.

The statement also expressed the government’s gratitude for civil servants and public workers for maintaining public services on Monday during an large-scale city-wide strike called by protesters.

It said their contributions had minimised the disruption to the public transportation system.

The spokesman said the government also thanks people from all walks of life for “standing fast at their posts”, and appealed to people “who cherish and love Hong Kong to work together with the HKSAR Government to combat violence, uphold the rule of law and restore social order as soon as possible.”