Beijing: Protesters threw bricks and a petrol bomb at police who fired tear gas and rubber bullets on the streets of Hong Kong on Saturday afternoon.

The violent clashes erupted hours after Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam issued a plea on Facebook for the community to "sit down and talk" because "everyone is tired". Lam, however, continued to offer no concessions.

The scenes ended the relative peace that had been maintained for the past week after a march by an estimated 1.7 million residents last Sunday repeated the call for an extradition bill to be formally withdrawn and an independent inquiry into police conduct held.

Tensions rose on Saturday after subway operator MTR for the first time shut down multiple stations near a protest that had been authorised by police for Saturday afternoon in Kwun Tong. Protesters were forced to walk to the starting point of the rally, while residents were left stranded without a subway service. The MTR shut subway stations for a second day on Sunday ahead of an authorised protest march at Tsuen Wan.