Protesters should "say no to chaos," city leader Carrie Lam said in her first media appearance in days. Police said they had made a record 82 arrests after demonstrations held as part of a general strike turned violent.
Protesters targeted the city's public transport during the Monday morning rush hour. At least seven railway lines were shut down as protesters blocked entrances to commuter trains. More than 200 flights were canceled at Hong Kong's airport and the airport's express train service was also suspended.
Several demonstrations descended into violence as police fired tear gas and clashed with protesters who are demanding Lam's resignation. A police spokeswoman told the German press agency dpa that a record 82 people had been arrested — the largest number of arrests in a single day since demonstrations began two months ago.
The city leader said the protests had caused the "majority of Hong Kong people" great "anxiety." Lam added that the "government will be resolute in maintaining law and order in Hong Kong and restoring confidence" and that now was the time to "rally together."
At least seven railway lines were shut down as protesters targeted public transport on MondayImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/V. Thian
Mass protests enter ninth week
Lam's comments came after weeks of daily marches and protests that have often turned into violent confrontations between demonstrators and police.
The police spokeswoman cited by dpa said officers had arrested a total of 420 people, and fired 160 rubber bullets and 1,000 rounds of tear gas grenades since the protests began on June 9. More than 130 police officers have also been injured, she said.
Demonstrations initially stemmed from a controversial Chinese extradition law. However, they have since transformed into a protest movement calling for expanded democratic rights and further autonomy.
Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty twenty years ago, after 156 years of British rule. The territory's history during this time has been marked by numerous protests against mainland China and the SARS pandemic.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
1997: Historic moment
The handover of Hong Kong's sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China took place on July 1, 1997. The territory on China's Pearl River Delta became a British colony in 1842 and was occupied by Japan during World War II. After Hong Kong's return to China, the political situation was described as "one country, two systems."
Image: Reuters/D. Martinez
1999: No family reunions
Divided families, who had been split by the Hong Kong border, had hoped to be reunited after the territory's return to China. But with a daily quota of only 150 mainland Chinese allowed to settle in Hong Kong, many were left disapointed. This photo from 1999 shows mainland Chinese visitors protesting outside Hong Kong's Legal Aid Department after they were denied residency permits.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
2002: Dashed hopes
The residency issue flared up again in April 2002 when Hong Kong began deporting some 4,000 mainland Chinese who had lost legal battles to stay in the territory. These desperate families were evicted from a central park where they had been protesting.
Image: Reuters/K. Cheung
2003: The SARS pandemic hits
In 2003, the highly contagious SARS virus spread through Hong Kong. The territory was hard hit by the flu-like virus and in March, the WHO declared it a pandemic. This man attended Doctor Tse Yuen-man's funeral in May. Dr. Tse had volunteered to care for SARS patients and had contracted the virus herself. Hong Kong was declared SARS-free in June 2003. Almost 300 people had died of the disease.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
2004: Rally for democracy
China's policy of "one country, two systems" has often created tension. In 2004, on the seventh anniversary of the handover, hundreds of thousands of people protested in Hong Kong, demanding political reform. They were calling for democracy and direct elections for Hong Kong's next leader.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
2008: No place to live
Soaring property prices in Hong Kong forced rents higher. By 2008, it wasn't unusual to see people like Kong Siu-kau living in so-called "cage homes," 15-square-foot (1.4 square meters) wire mesh cubicles, eight of which were usually crammed into one room. Today an estimated 200,000 people call a wire cage, or a single bed in a shared apartment, home.
Image: Reuters/V. Fraile
2009: Remembering Tiananmen Square
On the twentieth anniversary of the government's brutal crackdown in Tiananmen Square, Hong Kong residents gathered for a candlelight vigil in Victoria Park. It showed how different Hong Kong is from China, where the massacre of pro-democracy supporters and students on June 4, 1989, is usually only referred to as the June Fourth Incident.
Image: Reuters/A. Tam
2014: Occupy Central
Starting in September 2014, large-scale protests demanding more autonomy rocked Hong Kong for over two months. Beijing had announced that China would decide on the candidates for the 2017 election of Hong Kong's chief executive. The protests were referred to as the Umbrella Revolution, because protesters used umbrellas to fend off pepper spray and tear gas used by police.
Image: Reuters/T. Siu
2015: Sport becomes political
Less than a year after the Occupy Central protests ended, China played against Hong Kong in a soccer World Cup qualifiying match on November 17, 2015. The guests did not receive a friendly welcome in Hong Kong. Fans booed when the Chinese national anthem was played and held up posters saying "Hong Kong is not China." The match ended 0-0.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
2016: Another bout of violence
In February 2016, Hong Kong's rough police tactics made headlines again. Authorities tried to remove illegal street vendors from a working-class Hong Kong neighborhood. They sent riot police, who used batons and pepper spray against protesters, and also fired live warning shots into the air. The street clashes were the worst since the Umbrella Revolution in 2014.
Image: Reuters/B. Yip
10 images1 | 10
Calls for change
On Sunday, thousands of demonstrators had dressed in black and marched peacefully in the town of Tseung Kwan O.
According to organizers, at least 14,000 people from more than 20 sectors participated in the strike. Many protesters wore masks to hide their identities for fear of reprisal.
They demanded Lam's resignation, a permanent withdrawal of the extradition bill, the right to select leaders, an independent inquiry into police tactics, and the release of arrested protesters.
