Hong Kong face-off reaches boiling point

A bloody battle on the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University is nearing its 48th hour. The police have cornered protesters, who are running low on weapons and supplies. Hundreds of them have tried to flee.

All of the routes out of the besieged campus are blocked by a cordon of heavily armed riot police officers using a hailstorm of tear gas and rubber bullets. The police have ordered protesters to “drop their weapons,” but students fear that doing so will result in their arrests.

Near the university, streets were engulfed by tear gas and fires, conjuring the feel of a battlefield. And dozens of women who appeared to be the mothers of trapped protesters staged a sit-in directly in front of the cordon last night.

Explainer: We took a look at how universities, once sanctuaries for protesters, are now among the most turbulent parts of the city.