Pro-democracy politicians had urged a group of hundreds of protesters that had amassed outside the Legislative Council not to storm the building, warning they faced prison sentences of up to 10 years. Protesters erect a Hong Kong colonial flag and deface the Hong Kong logo at the Legislative Chamber. Credit:AP But after glass windows were smashed, young protesters surged into the building on Monday evening and took over the chamber where Hong Kong's limited Parliament is practiced, smashing portraits of politicians and spray painting the flower symbol of Hong Kong black. Lowy Institute analyst Ben Bland said raising the colonial flag was unlikely to be a call for return to British rule and "more a gesture of defiance to antagonise Beijing". "I would expect this will be met forcefully by the HK government in terms of arrests and prosecutions, and I think makes it even more unlikely that the HK government would - or Beijing would permit them to - accede to the protesters' demands," said Dapiran.

Police officers with protective gear retake the meeting hall of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong early on Tuesday. Credit:AP One man, exposing his face to media cameras by removing the mask and goggles worn by most protesters, had declared, "Hong Kongers already have nothing to lose". The protesters demanded universal suffrage, an escalation of earlier demands for the extradition bill to be completely withdrawn, and an independent investigation held into police violence against protesters. South China Morning Post journalist Shirley Zhao wrote on Twitter: "I'm at a loss for words on what's happening. Watching youngsters smashing everything in the legco, where probably lawmakers they elected were disqualified, I sense desperation, confusion and uncertainty, much like the city itself." Demonstrators hold up a damaged shutter after breaking into the Legislative Council building. Credit:Bloomberg

The protests against the extradition bill are apparently leaderless, but one of the multiple democracy groups involved is Demosisto, whose student founders had been elected to the Legislative Council in 2016 but then swiftly kicked out again on Beijing's orders for disrespecting China when taking oaths. Loading Some protesters sprayed slogans declaring "Sunflower HK", a reference to the Taiwan student movement that occupied Taiwan's Parliament in 2014. Shortly before 11pm local time, police warned they would move in. "The LegCo building was violently attacked... the police severely condemned the violent attack," said the police statement.

Yet for several hours that evening, police had largely withdrawn from the scene, allowing the protesters to enter the building. Some politicians declared it had been a trap that the young protesters had walked into. Labour politician Fernando Cheung told the South China Morning Post the scenes would lead to a public backlash. "This is a complete trap, I'm sorry that people played into it," he said. Grafitti is displayed on a wall of the Legislative Council building. Credit:Bloomberg He told the BBC the police could have earlier dispelled the protesters but had "purposely allowed them to break into the building and vandalise it". But at a 4am press conference police chief Stephen Lo denied claims that police had laid a trap and said his officers had been under seige from protesters who had used violent tactics.

Appearing next to Lo at the press conference, Lam said: "We are here to highlight how shocked we are." She said the scenes of violence and vandalism inside the Legislative Council overnight "really saddens and shocks a lot of people.. this is something that we should seriously condemn, because nothing is more important than the rule of law in Hong Kong." Cheung also said the protesters has been ignored by Lam, who had hidden from public view for 10 days. He said three young protesters had taken their lives in desperation. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Cheung said the leaderless nature of the protests had made it a difficult situation because calls from cooler heads for the protesters to go home were met with disagreement.

Keith Richburg, a journalism professor at the University of Hong Kong, wrote on Twitter: "Total trap. Turn the public against the demonstrators. Stay back and let them vandalise. Expect a backlash now." Loading The Hong Kong government released a statement at 11pm on Monday declaring, "A group of rioters charged the Legislative Council complex ... and severely damaged the building and its facilities... The rioters vandalised the facilities after dashing into the complex". The statement urged protesters to leave the area immediately. Pro-democracy politicians called for Lam to meet them shortly before midnight, as riot police were shown on television moving towards the building from police headquarters. Volleys of tear gas were fired shortly after midnight as large numbers of riot police pushed back protesters on Lung Wo Road outside the building. The last remaining protesters soon left the Legislative Council chamber inside.

Pro-democracy legislator Claudio Mo told journalists that the actions of the young protesters were driven by "years of being treated as the enemy and being ignored". Hong Kong's government has responsibility to maintain public order in Hong Kong through the police force, while the People's Liberation Army, stationed in barracks next to the government headquarters, holds responsibility for defence. The PLA have never been called onto Hong Kong streets and largely stay out of view in barracks but this possibility remains the underlying fear of many in Hong Kong as they watch the student protests turn violent. The annual handover day protest march drew 550,000 people earlier on Monday and was peaceful but had to change its route as violence broke out at the Legislative Council. Beijing has claimed "foreign interference" is behind the wave of protests that have swept Hong Kong, ignoring the widespread backlash from business, legal and community groups against the extradition bill.

Demonstrations challenge Xi Huge crowds of demonstrators have taken to Hong Kong's streets in the past several weeks, protesting a bill that would allow extraditions to mainland China. The protests forced Lam to suspend the bill, but demonstrators want a full withdrawal and for her to resign. The turnout of protesters on Monday was among the largest attempts to disrupt the Hong Kong government's most important annual political event. It underscored the deepening anxiety that many in Hong Kong feel about the erosion of the civil liberties that set the city apart. A small number of violent protesters rammed a metal cart through a window of the Hong Kong Legislative Council. Credit:Bloomberg Monday's protests, which also fell on the 98th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, were a direct challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping and his increasingly authoritarian policies.

Analysts said the chaos risked giving Xi an opportunity to justify his tough approach. "If it gets really violent, the risk is that Beijing has a good excuse to become even more uncompromising," said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a political scientist at Hong Kong Baptist University. "Xi can put even more pressure on Carrie Lam not to make any concessions." A division among protesters Protesters who joined the demonstration outside the legislature said they were frustrated that the government was not listening to their concerns. Demonstrators shine smartphone lights as the protest continues into the night. Credit:Bloomberg

"Friends, don't leave," read the signs many were waving. "People of Hong Kong, don't give up." This was the latest instance in which a group of predominantly younger protesters have taken measures that test the boundaries of civil disobedience in this usually orderly financial hub. In recent weeks, to protest the extradition bill and what they saw as a heavy-handed police response, the protesters have twice besieged the city's police headquarters and sought to disrupt government services. The protesters said they chose to descend on the Legislative Council because police prevented them from getting close to the site of the government's flag-raising ceremony that morning. Hundreds of thousands of mostly peaceful protesters took to the streets for the third day in recent weeks. Credit:Bloomberg Several protesters said that while they did not personally plan to break into the complex, they supported those on the front lines who did. Peaceful protest methods were ineffective, they said, and they increasingly felt open to a more confrontational approach if it would help to protect Hong Kong's freedom and relative independence from Beijing.

"We have been too peaceful for the past few times, so the police think we are easily bullied," said Natalie Fung, 28, who was outside the legislative complex supporting the protesters with food and drinks. "The younger people are risking their safety and their futures for us." Not all protesters supported the handful who attacked the Legislative Council. Several democratic politicians tried to stop the protesters by positioning themselves between the demonstrators and the building, even physically blocking the makeshift battering rams at times, but were eventually pushed aside. Claudia Mo, who was among the pro-democracy legislators attempting to stop the protesters, said she thought the violence was an expression of how desperate the younger protesters had become in the face of a government that they thought had not done enough. "I'm extremely worried because the young really seem like they have nothing to lose, when they have a lot to lose," Mo said. "It's their Hong Kong they're fighting for. It's their future and they need to take their future into account."