Angry protests outside of Hong Kong’s legislative building descended into chaos on Wednesday afternoon with police declaring the situation a “riot” while using tear gas, pepper spray, water cannons, and even rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators.

Protesters began surrounding the Legislative Council building on Tuesday night ahead of a planned debate on a controversial extradition bill which would allow criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial. As tens of thousands jammed the streets of Hong Kong, the debate was postponed, however, protesters have shown no signs of backing down, demanding that the bill be withdrawn completely.

A tense standoff between protesters and police finally broke out into violence by the afternoon as demonstrators crashed through barricades and police fired tear gas into the crowd which caused many protesters to retreat only to soon return back to the front lines. Some even managed to barge into the Legco building itself, causing riot police to fire tear gas and smoke bombs inside the building.

#LIVE: Chaos ensues as protesters break through the barricades and pull the barricades with them. https://t.co/fpKl8rH1bn #extraditionbill pic.twitter.com/ruO4SMYyZC — SCMP News (@SCMPNews) June 12, 2019

#LIVE: Scenes from the ground as police fire tear gas at Hong Kong protesters, sending crowds running for cover. https://t.co/fpKl8rH1bn #extraditionbill pic.twitter.com/oKPRkdVXAv — SCMP News (@SCMPNews) June 12, 2019

Everyone is coughing, eyes burning, nose stinging pic.twitter.com/RjqyrZG0hX — Louisa Lim (@limlouisa) June 12, 2019

This was the second or third round of gas. Fired into a group of people (me included) moving away from the police, not rushing them #ExtraditionBill pic.twitter.com/8UXcX3o1bU — Mike Bird (@Birdyword) June 12, 2019

They're marching right back to occupy the same area they'd just been driven from. (2/2) #HongKong #NoExtraditionBill #NoChinaExtradition pic.twitter.com/V5qscpKJ2q — Coconuts Hong Kong (@CoconutsHK) June 12, 2019

Tear gas has cleared protesters from the front of parliament as you can see from this before and after picture. pic.twitter.com/AygPW7Phgg — Jerome Taylor (@JeromeTaylor) June 12, 2019

Police have also fired bean bag rounds and rubber bullets at the crowd of protesters. A video has been shared on Twitter of one of the protesters being hit in the face with a rubber bullet. It’s been reported that the man was a driver for Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK. He was rushed to the hospital and has since regained consciousness.

Tear gas and bean bag rounds fired as #ExtraditionBill protesters and police enage in pitched battles around the Legco comples in #HongKong https://t.co/H3xmgcfNSK pic.twitter.com/oc08JKxr5X — RTHK English News (@rthk_enews) June 12, 2019

Protestor got shot by HONG KONG police. #HongKongProtest please share. Solidarity with HK pic.twitter.com/uKEInaa2gI — Emily Ching (@Emchingcman) June 12, 2019

Another video shows a protester saying that he can no longer see out of his left eye after being hit with a rubber bullet fired by police.

Beanbag rounds fired into the crowd pic.twitter.com/5kuS3U6I9u — Adam Ni (@adam_ni) June 12, 2019

Hong Kong police chief Stephen Lo has defended the use of beanbag shells and rubber bullets against protesters, calling the clashes a “riot situation,” a classification which could have major ramifications for any of the protesters that are arrested, and declaring that his officers had “no choice” when faced with protesters armed with iron bars and bricks. Meanwhile, Lo ruled out the possibility of calling in the Chinese military for assistance.

Observers are already referring to these protests as the “Umbrella Movement 2.0,” referencing the iconic political movement that ground Hong Kong to a standstill for 79 days in 2014 as protesters demanded the right to elect their own leaders. However, some participants have been quoted as saying this latest demonstration is even more “intense.” At no point during the Umbrella Revolution did police declare a riot.

Check out more images and videos of the insanity below.

There is usually never a line at the train ticketing machines. Judging from an overheard convo, it appears that people are reluctant to use their rechargeable Octopus cards for fear of leaving a paper trail of them having been present at the protest. pic.twitter.com/s1rsgSnCqL — Mary Hui (@maryhui) June 12, 2019

#LIVE: A banner put up on Tim Mei Avenue, calling on police defending the Legco complex not to hurt Hongkongers and students. https://t.co/fpKl8rH1bn #extraditionbill pic.twitter.com/sBaP2s2aCY — SCMP News (@SCMPNews) June 12, 2019

Umbrellas rain down from the overpass above Harcourt Road after police unfurl a red warning flag. During the 2014 Umbrella Movement, they were used to protect against pepper spray.

Full coverage: https://t.co/kmLJLFCnSX #NoToChinaExtradition pic.twitter.com/BMJ9OOOfZ7 — Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) June 12, 2019

Not all heroes wear capes, as the saying goes. These drivers will most likely lose their jobs but deserve all our respect. #HongKongProtests #NoExtraditionToChina pic.twitter.com/DWwvbtrWeH — Michaela (@michaelasays) June 12, 2019