Hong Kong Protests Turn Violent in Standoff Over China’s Control
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Demonstrators force closure of legislature over extradition bill with Beijing that critics say would encroach on the city’s autonomy.
A standoff over China’s encroachment on this city’s legal autonomy deepened, with hundreds of police firing tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters, as the financial center’s Beijing-backed government showed no signs of yielding during a second day of widespread demonstrations.
Wednesday’s protest, which followed a mass demonstration by as many as a million people on Sunday, is the biggest outbreak of public unrest in years and comes as the administration of President Xi Jinping of China moves to bring the former British colony closer to the mainland. At issue is a widely unpopular bill that would allow extradition of alleged criminals to China from Hong Kong, which critics fear will be abused by Beijing for political ends.
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