Water Cannons Deployed For 1st Time In Hong Kong Protests To Crash Barricades - Reports

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th August, 2019) The Hong Kong police on Sunday deployed water cannons during the ongoing protests for the first time, using them to clear road barricades erected by demonstrators, media reported.

On Saturday, protests in China's semi-autonomous city turned violent. Demonstrators were building barricades, obstructing traffic, damaging lampposts and hurling hard objects at police officers. To disperse the crowd, police fired tear gas. Nearly 30 people were detained. On Sunday, the protests continued, tear gas was used again.

According to the South China Morning Post newspaper, two police vehicles equipped with water cannons arrived at the scene of violent protests.

The police used the water cannons to remove barricades erected by demonstrators, with no protesters present on that part of the road during the operation.

According to Hong Kong police instructions, if used, water cannons can only target protesters' legs.

Mass protests are underway in Hong Kong for the 12th consecutive weekend. Initially being a reaction to proposed amendments to the city's extradition laws, they have grown into a full-blown opposition movement, demanding not only the full withdrawal of the controversial initiative, but also resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, retraction of the government's classification of the violent clashes as riots, independent inquiry into the police actions, and release of all those arrested in the clashes with the police.