Demonstrators protesting a proposed extradition bill have been clashing with Hong Kong police, fending off rubber bullets, tear gas and high-pressure water hoses well into Wednesday night, AP and Reuters report.
What's new: As of 10 p.m. local time, the Hong Kong government has confirmed 72 injuries, including 21 police officers, BBC reports.
Details: Tens of thousands of mostly young protesters stormed a key Hong Kong road near government offices earlier, causing authorities to the delay the bill that was due to be debated at the legislature, per AP. Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam backs the measure despite the large-scale pushback and concerns from the Trump administration.
- Lam condemned the violence in a video address. "It's clear these were no longer peaceful gatherings, but organized riots," she said.
- 22 people have been injured in clashes between police and protestors outside the Legislative Council, BBC reports.
- The Legislative Council canceled its June 12 meeting after ongoing protests and said it would announce the time of the new meeting.
- Mainland China has insisted that it is not currently sending its own security forces to Hong Kong, per a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson to reporters.
The big picture: The last large-scale protests in Hong Kong took place during the 2014 Occupy Central and Umbrella Movement, where hundreds of thousands protested against a "white paper" change to the long-standing "one country, two systems" policy.
Can personally attest that a) tear gas is awful b) these canisters are being shot pretty high and pretty indiscriminately. This was during peak rush hour when loads of people were just trying to get home. pic.twitter.com/laQ7eqvTij
— Tracy Alloway (@tracyalloway) June 12, 2019
