Hong Kong police on Sunday charged at demonstrators and fired several rounds of tear gas as thousands of people occupied a major street near a police station and Beijing's liaison office.

Television images showed riot police launching multiple volleys of the chemical near what is known as the Central Government Liaison Office as they sought to contain the latest public protests in the semiautonomous Chinese territory.

Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents attended separate marches, a day after police clashed with protesters at a town near the border with mainland China.

Sunday's main rally was initially scheduled to move through Sheung Wan, a historic district popular with tourists, where riot police previously used tear gas against protesters. 

But authorities rejected the route, prompting people to set off in opposite directions. Some headed towards a major shopping district, where they set up barricades to block off the area, and others towards the police station. 

Read more: Hong Kong protests: Is the government losing control of law and order?

Confusion reigns

The South China Morning Post newspaper described chaotic scenes with many demonstrators unsure of where to go.

Many of the black-shirted protesters shouted the slogans "Reclaim Hong Kong" and "Down with the evil bill," referencing a recently shelved proposal that would have allowed the extradition of suspects to mainland China for trial.

The rallies, which first erupted last month in opposition to the bill, have brought millions of residents onto the streets. They have since morphed into a much broader political campaign for democratic reforms in the former British colony amid concerns that China is tightening its grip on power.

Read more: Hong Kong police seize huge explosives cache ahead of rallies

The unrest is one of the biggest political crises in Hong Kong's modern history and has become a major headache for the territory's pro-Beijing leadership.

Democracy activist Joshua Wong told DW's Mathias Bölinger that the anti-government protests would continue despite police attempts to stop them, and that the territory's government and Beijing were facing a "summer of discontent."

"Calls for democracy will never stop," he said, adding that Hong Kong's leader must be appointed by the people of Hong Kong and not by Beijing. 

Anti-triad rally turns ugly

On Saturday, another unsanctioned march descended into chaos as police fired several rounds of tear gas after tense standoffs with protesters, some of whom threw projectiles.

Eleven people were arrested and at least two dozen injured.

The so-called anti-triad rally was held in a town in the New Territories, close to the border with the mainland, to protest against suspected pro-government gangs that beat up pro-democracy demonstrators there last weekend.

Read more: Hong Kong protests: Will Beijing step in?

Those attacks further raised tensions between the government and protesters, some of whom claim the police turned a blind eye to the violence.

Police face more censure

Hong Kong police have also faced criticism for what human rights group Amnesty International called a "heavy-handed" response during Saturday's rally, as well as their use of tear gas and rubber bullets during previous protests.

Despite widespread support, the protests have concerned Hong Kong residents who fear they are damaging the city's economy and global reputation.

Britain handed Hong Kong to China in 1997 as part of an agreement that included Beijing's pledge to respect the territory's semiautonomous status until 2047.

mm/amp (AFP, AP, dpa)

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