So provocative: so many riot cops at TST waterfront, presumably to prevent a 3pm assembly. A very conflictual situation. Here’s one of the most recognisable & detested cops in #HK, front & center, a clear provocation 
A line of about a hundred riot cops face off with hundreds of protesters over the right to freely gather. Apart from these cops, there are hundreds of others in the vicinity. The protesters are by and large the moderate sorts. No need for this provocation.
This is how it looks right on the frontline. The police officer is telling protesters to back off and disperse. Mostly middle-aged protesters are telling him we have a perfect right to be here & they should leave us alone.
Meanwhile, away from the standoff with the riot cops, thousand are gathered peacefully in Salisbury Garden.
Riot cops have now blocked Nathan Rd & raised the blue flag, tho until they did so, there were no protesters in the street and no intention to march. Cops are clearly in predatory mood. We’re about 10,000 altogether & surrounded on 2 sides.
Now the black flag. Protesters sarcastically clap.
This cop just charged out of the line with his rifle to threaten journalists. Police have backed themselves into a corner with these extremely aggressive tactics. What can they do now but use force on peaceful protesters.
A dozen cops just charged into the crowd & started pepper spraying. Protesters pelted them with bottles. Then with the crowd at close quarters & surrounded by traffic,they shot tesrgas.
Then the two lines of police started shooting teargas & pushing protesters down the road. Don’t know about the ones in Salisbury Garden. We’ve been cut off from them. gotta run
Contrary to media reports, it was police, not protesters, who blocked Nathan & Salisbury Rds. It was also police who 1st attacked, charging into a crowd of protesters at Salisbury Garden near the road. Also, the crowd was much larger than the ‘hundreds’ media report-close to 10k.
We should ask why police were even there, provoking a peaceful assembly. The answer is, to prevent the assembly. This is the 1st stationary gathering in central HK police have tried to stop. The 1st march they tried to stop, also w teargas, was on 9/29.
In both cases, the assemblies preceded big gatherings (on 10/1 & this coming 11/2) & police meant their suppression as a warning. This, of course, on top of flat out banning all marches. Freedom of assembly in HK is so circumscribed as to be close to dead.
The police surrounded the group of protesters I was in on 3 sides, the harbor was on the 4th, & continued to shoot teargas at us. When I told them we had nowhere to disperse, one cop pointed a teargas rifle at me.
The only way to break the police cordon was to hop a spike-topped 3m-tall fence, which 300 of us did in record time. From there we were guided by citizens on pedestrian bridges who scouted police positions & told us where to avoid.
Police use all kinds of excuses like we threw things at them & blocked streets but it was they who blocked the streets & they know well that if they want to avoid confrontation they stay away, as they did at last night’s health professionals rally.
As on 9/29, today’s police actions have all the traits of #HKPoliceState. In the past, police would not intervene in unauthorised rallies. Now they make a point of attacking & kettling peaceful protesters.
Reports of many arrests over the past hour in Kowloon City, To Kwa Wan, Mong Kok, Ho Man Tin, Whampoa & Tsim Sha Tsui. Police are very aggressively pursuing protesters. See t.me/youarenotalone… for details.
