Hong Kong police fired tear gas at protesters on Saturday after tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters rallied through the streets for expanded democratic rights and autonomy.

Police had warned protesters against deviating from an approved route for Saturday's pro-democracy march, saying they would intervene if protesters refused to listen to police orders.

But protesters refused to comply, instead establishing roadblocks and disrupting public transport.

"We hope the government will stand up and say something," a 25-year-old protester told DW's Charlotte Chelsom-Pill. "Every protest is getting more and more dangerous and more and more violent."

The first rounds of tear gas were fired by police in the harborside district of Tsim Sha Tsui, an area known for its luxury malls. Riot police charged at demonstrators who had smashed the windows of police cars.

As protests continued into early Sunday morning, police again fired pepper spray and tear gas in the Wong Tai Sin district after protesters and locals hurled umbrellas and other objects at police.

Earlier, several pro-democracy protesters removed a Chinese national flag from a pole and threw it into the iconic Victoria Harbour.

Read more: Hong Kong strike: Can protesters shut down the city?

Chinese military prepared to intervene

Earlier this week, the Chinese military said it was prepared to intervene if the situation becomes "intolerable."

However, the editor-in-chief of the state-run Global Times, Hu Xijin, suggested a military intervention was unlikely.

"The [People's Liberation Army] Hong Kong Garrison is a symbol of national sovereignty and cannot be regarded as Hong Kong's police backup," said Hu.

But that hasn't stopped demonstrators from worrying about the rising use of violence against protesters by Hong Kong police.

"I'm a little worried about whether the police force might use violent ways on the demonstrators, because the route of the demonstration is a little bit narrow," one protester told the Reuters news agency ahead of the rally.

Read more: Opinion: Could China send the military to occupy Hong Kong?

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 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."

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 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.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 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.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 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.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 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.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 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.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 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.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 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.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 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.

Hong Kong's 20-year history since handover 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. Author: Carla Bleiker



Historic protests

Hong Kong has witnessed historic protests over the summer. What first started as demonstrations against a controversial extradition law has blossomed into a movement fighting for expanded democratic rights and autonomy.

Recent protests have started to turn violent, with police taking bolder actions to disperse protesters, including firing rubber bullets and arresting dozens of participants.

Earlier this week, Beijing said it supported police and city authorities, saying they have the responsibility to maintain the rule of law. "Violence is violence, unlawful acts are unlawful," said a spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office in Beijing.

Read more: Are Hong Kong protests a warning for Taiwan?

Police supporters gather

Separate demonstrations were also held Saturday to show support for authorities, with police saying 26,000 people took part in a pro-police rally at Victoria Park. Dressed in white, many waved Chinese flags alongside the Hong Kong flag.

Further protests by anti-government activists were planned for Sunday, while a mass strike has been called for Monday.

rs, ls/cmk (Reuters, AFP, AP)

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