As it happened: Hong Kong protests

1. Protesters and police were involved in violent clashes in Hong Kong.
2. Tear gas and water cannons were used to disperse the demonstrators.
3. It came hours after Beijing marked 70 years since the Communist Party came to power with extravagant celebrations.
4. Military might was on show with processions of tanks, armoured units, drones and even an unmanned underwater vehicle.
5. China under communism defied expectations with its growth but has a very poor reputation for human rights.

Hong Kong protesters determined to upstage Beijing

Reuters

A protester runs through tear gas in Hong Kong

It was supposed to be a day of celebration in China, marking 70 years since the start of Communist rule in the world's most populous nation. But even as they tried to impress the wider world, eyes were turning to Hong Kong, where pro-democracy protesters had taken to the streets in their thousands.

As today's live page comes to a close, China correspondent Stephen McDonell - who has spent the day reporting from the protests - sums up events in Hong Kong:

A teenage student activist was shot in the chest from point blank range. Footage appears to show him trying to strike a police officer with a short pole at the time.

Hard line protesters charged up escalators trying to reach a police position. They faced a hail of rubber bullets and tear gas and were forced to retreat.

Water cannon trucks were used not only to clear thousands of demonstrators but to put out the many fires lit in the city, especially the burning barricades built across major roads.

There had been predictions of a violent escalation in Hong Kong to mark the 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule in China and that’s exactly what’s happened here.

A peaceful mass march turned into a series of running street battles as protesters tried to upstage events in Beijing with their calls for democratic reform.

More than 100 arrests - police sources

AFP

More than 100 arrests have been made during Tuesday's pro-democracy protests across Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reported, citing police sources.

Police have fired tear gas and water cannons in several areas, while protesters have started fires, attacked officers and damaged public buildings.

Viewpoint: Things have changed quickly in China

Zhijie Shao

BBC Chinese

Reuters

A performer rides a bike during Tuesday's celebration in Beijing, China

My earliest memory of the National Day is when I was five. My kindergarten teacher taught us about the five-starred flag and told us it was the 40th anniversary of the founding of our country.

Of course, she didn’t mention the Tiananmen Square crackdown that happened the same year. I didn’t know about it until years later, when I was able to read more news articles and books, many of them in English.

The fact that I did at all says something about how things have quickly changed in China.

None of my grandparents were fully literate. During my father's school years, he saw people beaten to death in the Cultural Revolution and my mother spent a few of her younger years in rural areas as a “sent-down youth”.

But my parents are among the first generation of Chinese people to whom owning a car or sending their children to study overseas is achievable.

In just a few decades, they both experienced the worst and better side of China. Nothing was taken for granted. They are not able to speak or understand any foreign languages, but they made sure that I can.

Joshua Wong lashes out at 'police state'

Getty Images

Prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong says the city has fallen in to "a de-facto police state".

In a series if tweets marking China's national day, he said "paramilitary security forces" had taken over the city and called on the international community to take action.

"Lip service alone is no longer coercive. The world must step up concrete actions against this brutal regime," he said.

• Read more: Joshua Wong, the poster boy for Hong Kong protests

Shot protester 'in stable condition'

A source quoted by the South China Morning Post says the 18-year-old hit by a live round is in a stable condition and there is a "good chance" he will survive.

The bullet hit the 18-year-old's lung but did not damage major arteries, the source says, adding: "If the operation goes smoothly, given his age and general condition, there is a good chance he will survive."

Videos capture moment protester is shot

A number of videos have emerged of the moment a police officer shot a protester.

The videos show protesters with umbrellas and metal poles attacking police, who respond with tear gas and force.

One of the officers also discharges his weapon.

Warning: This video contains upsetting content

Hong Kong protester shot by police

Use of live bullets 'disproportionate', says Britain

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The UK's Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, has condemned the use of live ammunition by police in Hong Kong, calling it a "disproportionate" response which "only risks inflaming the situation".

In a statement, Mr Raab called for restraint by both police and protesters, and said "constructive dialogue" was needed to address the "legitimate concerns" of people in Hong Kong, a former British territory.

Hong Kong protests in video

The BBC Monitoring team has been keeping an eye on some of the more creative forms of protest in Hong Kong today.

Here is a video of protesters throwing eggs at a poster of Chinese President Xi Jinping...

... and another video of people throwing so-called "hell money". The slips of paper are traditionally burned for one's ancestors, or to distract wayward spirits from the ghost of a loved one. The gesture is intended to symbolise that the 70th anniversary of China's communist regime is a funereal occasion.

Shot protester undergoes surgery

The 18-year-old protester hit by a live round has been transferred from Princess Margaret Hospital to Queen Elizabeth Hospital and is undergoing surgery, the South China Morning Post reported.

There are no details about his condition. His parents are at the hospital.

Number of injured jumps to 51

Hospital authorities say 51 people have been injured in Tuesday's protests so far.

Two are in a critical condition and two others are seriously hurt. Ages of the casualties range from 11 to 75, the authorities add.

Tensions continue into the evening

AFP

Hong Kong's Sham Shui Po district is one of the flashpoints between protesters and riot police.

Getty Images

In the Wong Tai Sin district, a narrow stretch of road separated hundreds of protesters from the police front lines.

AFP

Meanwhile, tear gas was fired by riot police in the Sham Shui Po district. The glass exterior of nearby government buildings was earlier smashed by protesters.

Police say shot protester was warned

Police have issued a statement saying that the protester injured by a live round was among a group who had been warned to stop attacking officers.

In a video message posted on Facebook, Senior Supt Yolanda Yu Hoi-kwan said the force was "saddened" that the 18-year-old man had been wounded.

Quoted by the South China Morning Post, she said: "At about 4pm a large group of rioters attacked police officers near Tai Ho Road, and they continued with their attack after officers warned them to stop.

"As an officer felt his life was under serious threat, he fired a round at the assailant to save his own life and his colleagues’ lives.

"The round hit an 18-year-old, and the area near his left shoulder was injured, and he was conscious when taken to Princess Margaret Hospital.

"The police force really did not want to see anyone being injured, so we feel very sad about this.

"We warn rioters to stop breaking the law immediately, as we will strictly enforce the law."

Viewpoint: A place none of us could imagine

Billy Chan

BBC Chinese in Hong Kong

EPA

A protester burns the Chinese flag

When Hong Kong was still a British colony, we enjoyed a public holiday on the Queen’s Birthday. And after the handover, we instead got a day off on 1 October. To many of us, the change wasn’t that significant because honestly, we cared more about where to go shopping or travelling.

Looking back, 2008 was a turning point. The Sichuan earthquake, which killed almost 90,000 people, was the country’s worst natural disaster in decades. Hong Kong people were sympathetic to the country’s plight and rushed to donate. The city was also thrown into the "Olympics Fever" as Beijing hosted the sporting extravaganza. But long gone were the days when Hong Kongers cried out of pride and sympathy for China.

I worked in Beijing as a TV correspondent from 2013 to 2015. I witnessed how Xi’s government clamped down on a civil society. Almost all the lawyers I know were thrown into prison when I left Beijing.I have returned to my hometown, Hong Kong, and the city’s relations with the mainland have deteriorated significantly. Consumed with weekly violence, Hong Kong has now turned into a place that locals could never imagine.

What we know so far

Getty Images

Protesters face off against riot police in Hong Kong

If you're just joining us, here's a recap of what's been happening in Hong Kong today.

• Demonstrations have been held in several areas of the city, including in Hong Kong's financial district (some of the areas are shown in the map below)
• Protesters have been setting up barriers, throwing projectiles, lighting fires and damaging local property.
• Police have tried to disperse the crowds with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon filled with blue dye
• A police source has confirmed to the BBC that a protester was shot in the chest by a live bullet during clashes in Hoi Pa Street, in the Tsuen Wan neighbourhood
• Police say a number of officers have been injured after being hit with "corrosive liquids"
• Protests are ongoing, and local media report that 96 people have been arrested
• The local Hospital Authority has also reported that 15 demonstrators have been injured

BBC

Meanwhile, in the US...

President Donald Trump is tweeting his congratulations to China's President Xi Jinping. He makes no mention of the protests in Hong Kong.

The tone is a bit of a contrast to that of yesterday, when he was keen to assert the US's dominance over China to score a few political points at home:

Malaysia police 'investigating pro-Hong Kong rally'

Malaysian police are investigating a protest in the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur, which was held in support of demonstrations in Hong Kong, AFP new agency reports.

The gathering was reportedly attended by 70 people, but a senior police official told AFP that organisers had not given authorities any notice that it would be taking place.

Under Malaysian law, protest leaders have to give police 10 days notice before an event, or face a fine of 10,000 Malaysian ringgit ($2,400; £1,939).

The reformist coalition that won elections in Malaysia last year has been in the spotlight for failing to abolish laws that critics say have stifled civil rights, including free speech.

Friend says shot teenager, 18, was 'valiant' protester

Grace Tsoi

BBC World Service, Hong Kong

A classmate of the protester shot in the chest has told the BBC that he learnt from their teacher that the protester’s injuries are not life-threatening.

“We don’t know his state yet, but we felt horrible when we saw him suffer in the video,” he said, adding that they would want to start a crowdfunding campaign for his treatment.

Video circulating online shows a young man lying on the floor, asking to be taken to hospital. Another video purports to show the moment a protester was shot at what appears to be point-blank range as he attacked what is believed to be a member of the security forces. The BBC has not managed to independently verify either video.

“I know that he’s a ‘valiant’ protester," the friend added. "But I never knew he was at the forefront.”

EU calls for "restraint" in Hong Kong

The European Union (EU) has called for "de-escalation and restraint" in Hong Kong following a tense day of protests.

"In light of the continuing unrest and violence in Hong Kong, the European Union continues to stress that dialogue, de-escalation and restraint are the only way forward," EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told reporters on Tuesday.

Hong Kong media outlet withdraws reporters

Local English-language broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) has withdrawn all of its journalists from the protests after one of its reporters was hit in the head with a projectile.

In a statement, RTHK said the male journalist wounded in his right eye and was being treated in hospital. It is unclear what struck him.

It added that a riot officer had also pointed a loaded shotgun at another of its reporters earlier in the day.

RTHK also said journalists from other media outlets had also been splashed by a "corrosive liquid", and RTHK had decided it was "no longer safe" for its reporters to be on the streets.

Watch: Protests get violent in Hong Kong

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