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China Lashes Out at Hong Kong Protest Targeting Its Office

Associated Press

   HONG KONG - The official People's Daily newspaper, in a front-page
   commentary headlined `"Central Authority Cannot be Challenged,'' called
   the protesters' actions "intolerable."

   One group of protesters targeted China's liaison office on Sunday night
   after more than 100,000 people marched through the city to demand
   democracy and an investigation into the use of force by police to
   disperse crowds at earlier protests.

   Police launched tear gas to disperse the protesters. Later, protesters
   trying to return home were attacked inside a train station by
   assailants who appeared to target the pro-democracy demonstrators.

   The attack on the liaison office touched a raw nerve in China. China's
   national emblem, which hangs on the front of the building, was
   splattered with black ink. It was replaced by a new one within hours.

   Police said on their official social media accounts that protesters
   threw bricks and petrol bombs at them and attacked the Central police
   station.

   These acts openly challenged the authority of the central government
   and touched the bottom line of the "one country, two systems''
   principle,'' the government's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office said
   in a statement issued Sunday.

   The "one-country, two systems" framework allows Hong Kong to maintain a
   fair amount of autonomy in governing local affairs, but demonstrators
   fear the city's rights and freedoms are being eroded.

   A group of pro-China lawmakers held a news conference Monday appealing
   for a halt to the violence, saying it was a blow to Hong Kong's
   reputation and is scaring away tourists and investors.
   They also urged police to tighten enforcement against the protesters,
   whom Ip labels as "rebels."

   "The violent attack on the Liaison Office ... is a direct affront to
   the sovereignty of our country," said Regina Ip, a former security
   secretary.
   When asked why it took at least a half-hour for police to arrive at the
   suburban train station and intervene, Ip said the police were
   "overstretched."

   "The police have been under extreme pressure," she said.
   Video of the attacks in Yuen Long showed protesters in black shirts
   being beaten by men in white shirts wielding steel pipes and wooden
   poles. Those under attack retreated into the trains, intimidated by the
   gangs of men waiting for them outside the turnstiles. The attackers
   then entered the trains and beat the people inside as they tried to
   defend themselves with umbrellas. They eventually retreated.
   One of the men in white held up a sign saying "Protect Yuen Long,
   protect our homes."

   Subway passengers filmed by Stand News and iCABLE angrily accused
   police officers of not intervening in the attack. Stand News reporter
   Gwyneth Ho said on Facebook that she suffered minor injuries to her
   hands and shoulder, and was dizzy from a head injury. The South China
   Morning Post reported several people were bleeding following the
   attacks, and that seven people were sent to the hospital.