Chinese forces were seen practising crowd control with giant 'electric' forks

Soldiers and police were photographed using them 4.5 miles from the border

Comes as Hong Kong braces for another weekend of rallies and demonstrations

Chinese security forces have been seen preparing to use terrifying giant forks, that may be able to give dangerous electric shocks, on Hong Kong protesters.

Police and soldiers were photographed practising a crowd control exercise with the weapons which, if electric, are capable of causing burns and puncture wounds, at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre in Shenzhen, just 4.5 miles from the border.

ADVERTISEMENT

The city is bracing for another weekend of rallies with up to a million activists on the streets, after demonstrators closed the international airport, disrupting traffic in the global financial hub.

Chinese servicemen attend a crowd control exercise at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center in Shenzhen across the bay from Hong Kong. One of the soldiers is carrying a huge fork, which may also be electric, to be used in crowd control

Police and soldiers were photographed on August 16 using the weapon which, if electric, can cause burns and puncture wounds, as the former British colony braced for another week of protests that could see more than a million people on the street

Chinese servicemen attend a crowd control exercise at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center

Images showing soldiers and armoured officers carrying the eight-foot forks, which are believed to be electric, were published by Chinese state media.

One soldier was seen brandishing the fork with several members of the police while, in a second image, they were seen using it against a mock protester.

Electric shock capturing forks can be used to capture and deter protesters.

Click here to resize this module

Amnesty International has previously warned against using the weapons which can result in 'intense, both localised and general, pain but not incapacitation of the subject'.

'Because of their nature and design, direct contact shock weapons carry an unacceptable risk of arbitrary force,' they said.

Hundreds of anti-extradition bill protesters attend a rally tonight calling on the British and U.S. governments to monitor the implementation of the 'one country two systems' principal

The campaigners filled the Chartered Garden in Hong Kong this evening in another day of protests which are expected to continue this weekend with up to a million activists

Activists were seen holding signs reading 'Power To The People' during the rally in Chartered Garden this evening

Some people held flags during the rally. Earlier this week protesters closed the international airport which disrupted traffic in the global financial hub

Yesterday Beijing warned it could hit the territory in just ten minutes after amassing hundreds of tanks and troops near the border.

The statement prompted a reprimand from the United States, which warned against sending troops into the region in a move many analysts say would be a reputational and economic disaster for China.

China's nationalistic Global Times newspaper has said that there will not be a repeat of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in which hundreds - or even thousands - of people are believed to have been killed.

Anti-extradition bill protesters react from tear gas as riot police try to disperse them during a protest at Sham Shui Po on August 11 in Hong Kong in the 10th week of violent showdowns

Anti-extradition bill protesters attend a rally calling on the British and U.S. governments to monitor the implementation of 'one country two systems' principal

Actor Jackie Chan sparked outrage earlier today by saying he supported the Chinese stance.

The 65-year-old celebrity said he was proud of being Chinese and that he loved his motherland but that the 'recent events in Hong Kong' broke his heart, as he urged the public to join him in safeguarding Chinese sovereignty.

Chan's comments were not received well with Hong Kong protesters accusing the Kung Fu star of being 'shameless' and 'eating the Communist Party's pill'.

ADVERTISEMENT

He is a Chinese citizen and has spoken out in support of Beijing before, notably speaking out against protests at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Riot police use pepper spray on protesters. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has urged Hong Kong to exercise restraint and investigate evidence of its forces firing tear gas at protesters in ways banned under international law