Standoff in Sha Tin over extradition bill came one day after unrest in Sheung Shui

Violent clashes have erupted between Hong Kong police and protesters at the end of a peaceful demonstration against the controversial extradition bill. The incidents took place late on Sunday in a bustling town between Hong Kong island and the border with China.

The scene descended into chaos shortly before 10pm local time (1400 GMT), after riot police chased protesters into a shopping centre in Sha Tin. Police used truncheons and pepper spray against protesters, who threw objects such as umbrellas and plastic water bottles at them. Some protesters were also seen beating a police officer. Several arrests were made.

A sanctioned, daytime demonstration against the bill earlier in the day had drawn tens of thousands of people. The extradition bill’s critics fear it could result in government opponents being sent to China to stand trial in Communist party-controlled courts.

Quick guide What are the Hong Kong protests about? Show Hide Why are people protesting? The protests were triggered by a controversial bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, where the Communist party controls the courts, but have since evolved into a broader pro-democracy movement. Public anger – fuelled by the aggressive tactics used by the police against demonstrators – has collided with years of frustration over worsening inequality and the cost of living in one of the world's most expensive, densely populated cities. The protest movement was given fresh impetus on 21 July when gangs of men attacked protesters and commuters at a mass transit station – while authorities seemingly did little to intervene. Underlying the movement is a push for full democracy in the city, whose leader is chosen by a committee dominated by a pro-Beijing establishment rather than by direct elections.

Protesters have vowed to keep their movement going until their core demands are met, such as the resignation of the city’s leader, Carrie Lam, an independent inquiry into police tactics, an amnesty for those arrested and a permanent withdrawal of the bill. Lam announced on 4 September that she was withdrawing the bill. Why were people so angry about the extradition bill? Beijing’s influence over Hong Kong has grown in recent years, as activists have been jailed and pro-democracy lawmakers disqualified from running or holding office. Independent booksellers have disappeared from the city, before reappearing in mainland China facing charges. Under the terms of the agreement by which the former British colony was returned to Chinese control in 1997, the semi-autonomous region was meant to maintain a “high degree of autonomy” through an independent judiciary, a free press and an open market economy, a framework known as “one country, two systems”. The extradition bill was seen as an attempt to undermine this and to give Beijing the ability to try pro-democracy activists under the judicial system of the mainland. How have the authorities responded? Beijing has issued increasingly shrill condemnations but has left it to the city's semi-autonomous government to deal with the situation. Meanwhile police have violently clashed directly with protesters, repeatedly firing teargas and rubber bullets. Beijing has ramped up its accusations that foreign countries are “fanning the fire” of unrest in the city. China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi has ordered the US to “immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any form”. Lily Kuo and Verna Yu in Hong Kong

The violence broke out shortly after police had cleared the streets following an hours-long standoff with protesters that began in the late afternoon when a small group of protesters threw objects at the police and placed traffic cones on the street, dismantled roadside metal barriers and set up makeshift barricades to separate themselves from police, who formed into a line.

Those standing near the police line put on goggles, face masks and helmets and armed themselves with umbrellas in case police used pepper spray. Noisy protesters chanted: “Nasty police, shame on you!” and shouted “Hong Kong, go!” to boost their spirits.



At about 6.30pm, more than a hundred riot police in green uniforms emerged on the scene, holding long shields. Protesters shouted: “Warrant cards! Warrant cards!” – complaining that police did not have identification numbers on their uniforms.

In a statement late on Sunday, the Hong Kong government said it “strongly condemned” protesters who “blocked roads, violently assaulted police officers and caused a breach of peace.”.

Play Video 0:40 Police use pepper spray to disperse peaceful protesters in Hong Kong - video

On Saturday, police had used pepper spray and batons to clear protesters in a similar protest in Sheung Shui, on the Chinese border, after clashes with protesters who refused to leave after a police-sanctioned march.

Police commissioner Stephen Lo said in a press briefing early on Monday that more than 40 protesterswere arrested. He said at least 10 policemen were injured, including one who had a section of his ring finger bitten off by a protester. He also said protesters violently kicked and beat a policeman who fell to the ground in the shopping centre in Shatin when the clashes took place.

The public broadcaster RTHK later said that 22 people were admitted to hospital after the clashes, of whom three were in serious condition. It reported that 11 police officers were injured in the unrest and two lost fingers.

The extradition bill has been suspended and Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, has declared it “dead”, but this has failed to reassure citizens, who fear it could be revived. At the demonstration in Sha Tin earlier on Sunday, protesters also urged the authorities to release people who have been detained during protests over the past month, and to investigate police use of force.

'Don't mess with us': the spirit of rebellion spreads in Hong Kong Read more

“Release the righteous fighters! Carrie Lam step down! Shame on the nasty police!” they chanted.

Since 9 June, Hong Kong has been rocked by its biggest political crisis, with millions thronging the streets under the sweltering sun to protest against the proposed extradition law, which many fear could result in government critics being sent to China to stand trial.



The anti-extradition movement has morphed into a bigger movement encompassing a range of different causes over the past weeks. Many Hong Kong citizens say they have felt energised and emboldened by the solidarity and large turnout at recent protests, which have made headlines across the world.



The extradition protests have also reignited a longing for democracy. On Sunday, many protesters also chanted “I want real universal suffrage!”



Hong Kong’s leader is not elected by ordinary voters but by an elite committee accountable to Beijing. Only half of the 70-seat legislature is directly elected, while the other 35 seats are occupied by mostly pro-establishment figures from corporate and special interest groups.



The Hong Kong government has ejected pro-democracy lawmakers and barred candidates seen as pro-independence from running for elections, thereby stripping the pro-democracy camp’s ability to block unpopular policies in the legislature.