HONG KONG, July 22 (Agencies): Hong Kong has been left in shock after a night of violence on Sunday, which saw dozens of masked men storm a train station.
The men - dressed in white shirts and suspected to be triad gangsters - assaulted pro-democracy protesters and passers-by in the Yuen Long area.
This is the first time this kind of violence has been seen in the ongoing anti-extradition demonstrations.
Several lawmakers questioned why police were slow to arrive at the scene.
Footage posted on social media showed dozens of men attacking people with wooden rods and metal sticks inside the station.
Forty-five people were injured, with one person in critical condition.
Meanwhile, China on Monday harshly criticized a weekend demonstration in which eggs were thrown at its office in Hong Kong, accusing the demonstrators of violence without mentioning a violent attack against protesters and civilians the same night.
A 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.
The official People's Daily newspaper, in a front-page commentary headlined "Central Authority Cannot Be Challenged," called the protesters' actions "intolerable."
Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam told reporters the gang attacks were "shocking". She also condemned protesters for defacing China's main representative office in the city earlier on Sunday.
Pro-democracy protesters were set upon as they travelled back from a rally in the centre of Hong Kong, where riot police had fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters.
The masked men stormed Yuen Long MTR station at about 22:30 local time (14:30 GMT).
Local media said they were targeting people dressed in black - the colour most protesters were wearing.
In a statement, the government said: "This is absolutely unacceptable to Hong Kong as a society that observes the rule of law. The SAR [Special Administrative Region] Government strongly condemns any violence and will seriously take enforcement actions."
One journalist, Gwyneth Ho, was attacked while she was in the middle of live streaming for news website Stand News. She is currently in hospital.
The Hong Kong Journalist Association said some reporters on the scene had equipment seized.
One witness - Galileo Cheng, 34 - told the BBC he had suffered several blows to his back and arms when he stepped in to try to help a female journalist, who was under attack.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
