A group of masked men in white T-shirts was filmed brutally assaulting train passengers with wooden sticks shortly after a massive opposition rally ended in Hong Kong. Some 45 people were injured, one critically.

A video surfaced on social media showing a group of men, many of them wearing surgical masks and armed with what looks like wooden clubs, storming a train car full of passengers at the Yuen Long station in Hong Kong. People are seen screaming and attempting to cover themselves as the attackers charge passengers at random.

Snippet of a live broadcast from lawmaker Lam Cheuk ting, showing self-professed pro-Gov't mobsters attacking passengers in train cars at #MTR#YuenLong Stn. #HongKong has 1 of the world's highest cop to population ratio. Where were @hkpoliceforce? Lam was injured as shown live. pic.twitter.com/Aq5JmJlf5u — Ray Chan (@ray_slowbeat) July 21, 2019

The station was used by many demonstrators returning home from a massive anti-government protest against the local and mainland Chinese governments. The video from inside the train car was streamed live by opposition Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, who was injured in the mayhem.

23:22 21 July: During the beating by suspected gangsters in Yuen Long Station, lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting bled with injuries around his mouth.Credit: Hong Kong Columns - Translated (Photo: Lam Cheuk ting's Facebook live) pic.twitter.com/y0vWpD5inf — Help us please (@tanijo) July 21, 2019

Another video shows the attackers beating up commuters as they try to climb the escalator, presumably at the same station.

VIDEO: Violent scenes at Hong Kong’s Yuen Long MTR station as white-clad men wielding sticks assault protesters and commuters https://t.co/L4JQXAiYSy#HongKongProtests(📹: Facebook/Lam Cheuk Ting, circulating online) pic.twitter.com/bJKCVjO2wV — CNA (@ChannelNewsAsia) July 22, 2019

It is speculated that the attackers were possible members of the 'triads', a transnational criminal organization based in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and in many countries with Chinese diasporas. The triads are often compared to the Western mafia.

Lam accused the police of responding too slowly, saying officers only came to the scene about an hour after he first reported the incident. The police responded that they were waiting for backup to address the situation with over 100 people involved. They searched a nearby village where people who looked like the attackers were spotted, but made no arrests. Police have vowed to treat potential suspects “fairly no matter which camp they are.”

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The protest earlier on Sunday night saw scuffles between stone-throwing demonstrators and police, who deployed tear gas and rubber bullets. At one point in the rally, protesters vandalized a Chinese government liaison office. The rallies are the latest in a wave sparked by a controversial extradition bill that could see criminals sent from the semi-autonomous city to mainland China. While the bill was suspended in mid-June after the protests began, it failed to placate the opposition, which now wants it withdrawn completely.

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