Cuhk truly under assault. Here’s a shot from the police side of the bridge. Hundreds of yards out and the air is so thick with tear gas it’s hard to breathe.
The campus is huge and there’s lots of material to work with. Near the mtr station people are setting barricades and foraging supplies.
An absolutely amazing human supply chain built to funnel supplies up to the front where the police and protesters are in a standoff over a flaming blockade.
Ok so this is what the walk to the front line looks like. Bombarded by tear gas with injured being dragged back. Everything is taking place over the number two bridge that goes across the highway into campus.
Here’s a better view of what the standoff over the bridge looks like. This truly feels like some antiquated line war, every twenty seconds injured are being pulled back from the front as others push forward.
And another shot from the side of the bridge. There’s word the water cannon just arrived, but given how the highway runs along campus with the bridge the only entrance. It won’t be easy for police to get through.
And now that the water cannon has arrived everyone is pulling back from the bridge.
And now the water cannon has come across the bridge spraying front liners as they hurl Molotov cocktails back. They lit a huge fire which seems to be holding the truck for now.
Police have backed off with a massive fire raging. And frontliners are heading back to the breach again.
And we’re back where we started. Students have the high ground but hard to understand why the water cannon backed off. People are determined but it’ll be chaos when the police eventually break through.
Word has come that police are backing off trying to work out a cease fire as one of the water cannons idles nearby in case. Students let out a cheer and there’s a tiny bit of college feel as a hose is set off for a triage pepper spray/tear gas wash.
One more shot of the jubilation and relief as alarms sound in the distance and the smell of tear gas lingers. Still lots are injured and others have a look of furious determination. A short reprieve in something that will surely get nastier.
These kids don’t quit. With the cease fire on a new human chain has formed to move the woods from campus onto the bridge as kindle.
And things stand where they started. The bridge is so toxic even an hour after it all ended you need a gas mask to breathe. Charred umbrellas and all manner of anti-crowd control detritus are scattered, some stained blue by pepper water. In HK police now assault college campuses.
Several hours on the campus is fully alive with coordination. Feels like a fortress besieged. Human chains deliver goods. Teams make Molotov cocktails. Walls of barricades have gone up. Mainland students roll suitcases out the gates (without any harassment).
