Protests rage across Hong Kong after man shot by police

Sporadic protests look like they could continue into the night in Hong Kong, but there are fewer people out on the streets and riot police have conducted clearance operations in several districts.

As we wrap up our coverage for the evening – barring any major surprise developments – here’s what you need to know:

Live feeds from the scene in Mong Kok, where small numbers of protesters are engaged in a stand off with police, show bricks and other debris covering the streets near the Langham Place shopping mall.

Police earlier deployed a water cannon in Mong Kok, and protesters had set up a large number of barricades which now appear mostly abandoned. However, dozens remained on the scene, wearing protective gear and carrying umbrellas, as they wait to see what the next move is from police.

Protesters run as police deploy water cannon at the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong on November 11, 2019.

Police have fired a water cannon near protesters in Kowloon’s Mong Kok district, as demonstrators continue to occupy the roads, according to multiple live feeds from local media.

A water cannon truck was seen on CNN affiliate iCable’s live feed driving on Nathan Road and spraying clear water.

Large crowds of protesters had gathered in the area, building barricades and throwing bricks as police fired tear gas.

Nearby Yau Ma Tai MTR subway station closed at about 7 p.m. Monday.

Protesters are distributing flyers over social media calling for another round of demonstrations Tuesday morning.

One poster calls for protesters to come out at 6:30 a.m. local time to disrupt transit.

“Remember to wake up earlier if you really like going to work,” one of the posters reads.

Protesters began disrupting subway lines and other transit routes this morning as early as 7 a.m. local time, as part of their day-long general strike.

Several subway lines experienced minor to severe delays, with some stations closed and routes partially suspended.

Investors dumped Hong Kong stocks after demonstrators targeted public transportation in Asia’s top financial hub and police shot a protester, a daylight escalation of violence that comes after five months of unrest.

The Hang Seng Index dropped more than 2.6% on Monday, its worst single-day percentage decline since the beginning of August. The city’s real estate stocks were hit particularly hard, with big property developers like Swire Pacific, Wharf Real Estate, Sun Hung Kai Properties and New World Development all dropping more than 4%.

Why investors are worried: Widespread protests blocked roadways and several subway lines experienced delays. A police officer shot a 21-year-old protester. Elsewhere in the city, a man who confronted a group of protesters was set on fire.

More trouble ahead: The disruption caused by months of pro-democracy protests have slammed luxury retailers, property developers and the tourism industry and plunged Hong Kong into its first recession in a decade. Yet there’s no sign that protesters or government officials in Hong Kong or Beijing are preparing to back down.

Meanwhile, across the border: China’s annual Singles Day online shopping bonanza has brought in a record $31 billion in sales for Alibaba (BABA).

The country’s biggest e-commerce company topped last year’s record in 16 1/2 hours. While the event regularly racks up bigger sales than Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined, total spending across the industry will take a while to tabulate.

Read more here

Riot police guard the street in Causeway Bay shopping district, Hong Kong.

It’s coming up to 7 p.m. local time (6 a.m. ET) and protests have been ongoing in Hong Kong for about 12 hours.

Demonstrators, dressed in black with many wearing face and gas masks, continue to gather in large numbers in districts across Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

Tear gas has been deployed in Causeway Bay where riot police appear to be conducting a clearance operation.

Large crowds continue to gather in Mong Kok, a busy shopping district in Kowloon that has often been at the center of protests over the past 23 weeks.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said she was “sad and concerned” over the death of 22-year-old Chow Tsz-lok, who passed away Friday after being hospitalized following a fall in a parking garage near a protest.

“I fully support the investigation of the case and police shall provide full support. However, I’d like to reiterate that everyone should be mindful of their own safety, which can then avoid any more tragedy,” Lam said.

Chow’s death has sparked fury among anti-government protesters, with many accusing police of bearing responsibility for the fall and in delaying ambulance access, charges the force denies.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has responded to accusations that the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) was not sufficiently equipped to investigate police misconduct.

At a press conference Monday following a day of violent protests, Lam said, “I strongly urge we should give the IPCC the time and space to look at areas they have identified.”

“These voices are for the counsel and IPCC to consider and not for me to comment,” Lam said.”

“I should point out that what the IPCC is undertaking is a very difficult and complex exercise. I have confidence the IPCC will spare no effort,” Lam said.

International experts call for inquiry: Over the weekend, a group of overseas experts appointed by the city government said the IPCC did not have the necessary “powers, capacity, and independent investigative capability to match the scale of events.”

The experts said in a statement that a more comprehensive inquiry would be needed to establish a representative body of evidence. Protesters have been calling for an inquiry for months – but city leaders said the IPCC was sufficient.

In response to the experts’ statement, the IPCC said it was “disappointed” that they did not consult with the council before making it public, and the Hong Kong government said that the IPCC’s study was “by no means a final report.”

Speaking to the press Monday afternoon, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that the government would not yield to protesters demands.

Lam added that violence would not offer any solutions “to the problems facing Hong Kong.”

Lam warned members of the public to stay away from areas where “unlawful activities” were taking place.

On Monday, video footage and images from the ground showed people – many office workers without masks or other protective gear – coughing and doubled over, with some rushing into a subway station to escape the tear gas.

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam condemned the violent scenes across Hong Kong today in a press conference, saying the escalating unrest was bringing Hong Kong “to the brink of no return.”

“We are questioning if we can live in this city safely,” Lam said.

The ominous message comes after a day of protests around the city, which escalated after police shot a 21-year-old protester with a live round. The protester is currently in hospital in critical condition.

Another person is in critical condition after protesters doused him in a flammable liquid and set him alight.

Lam said the latter incident was “horrific.”

“This is a blatant breach of peace and rule of law and totally inhumane act that nobody should condone,” she said.

Lam said that in total 60 people have been injured through the course of the day Monday.

Hong Kong stocks suffered their worst day in more than three months on Monday as long-running protests in the city saw escalating levels of violence.

The Hang Seng Index dropped more than 2.6%, its worst single-day percentage decline since the beginning of August, according to Refinitiv data. 

Monday’s fall wiped out the Hang Seng’s gains posted last week, when optimism over the prospects of a US-China trade deal lifted Asian markets.

The city’s real estate stocks were hit particularly hard, with big property developers like Swire Pacific, Wharf Real Estate, Sun Hung Kai Properties and New World Development all dropping more than 4%.

While Hong Kong led losses in the region, other major Asian markets were all down Monday as investors also tried to make sense of the muddled state of US-China trade relations.

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Protests erupted in several districts across Hong Kong Monday, as public anger mounted after the police shooting of a protester early in the morning in eastern Sai Wan Ho district.

Police fired tear gas at protesters, who set fires, built barricades, dug up bricks from streets, and caused widespread transit disruptions.

Protestors throw bricks to the road in Wong Tai Sin district on November 11, 2019 in Hong Kong.

Demonstrators march along a main thoroughfare during a protest in Hong Kong's Central district.

Huge crowds marched through Central district, the city’s financial center, where police fired tear gas. Video footage and images from the ground shows people – many office workers without masks or other protective gear – coughing and doubled over, with some rushing into a subway station to escape the tear gas.

People react after tear gas was fired by police during a protest in Hong Kong on November 11, 2019.

Riot police detain two men in the Central district of Hong Kong on November 11, 2019. 

At a press conference Friday afternoon, police said they arrested 266 people between the ages of 11 and 74 years old.

People react after tear gas was fired by police during a protest in Hong Kong on November 11, 2019.

Police also said that protesters had vandalized or blocked roads at 120 locations across the city.

A man (R) stands inside a building as the windows were smashed up in the campus of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Demonstrators march in Hong Kong's Central district on November 11, 2019.

Night is falling in Hong Kong, after a day of violence and mass arrests. If you’re just joining us now, here’s what you need to know:

Looming over all this was the death of 22-year-old Chow Tsz-lok, who passed away Friday after being hospitalized following a fall in a parking garage near a protest. His death has sparked fury in the anti-government movement, with protesters accusing police of bearing responsibility for the fall and in delaying ambulance access, charges the force denies.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who has repeatedly spoken out in favor of the ongoing anti-government protests in Hong Kong, said she was saddened to see “violence against unarmed protesters” today.

Taiwan – a self-ruled democratic island off the coast of mainland China – is preparing for a presidential election in January. The Hong Kong protests have fed into long-running concerns over Taiwan’s relationship with China, and multiple politicians from across the political spectrum have said that the “one country, two systems” principle adopted by Beijing when Hong Kong was handed over from the UK in 1997 will never be implemented in Taiwan.

A police officer addresses protesters in Hong Kong on November 11, 2019.

At an ongoing press conference, police responded to accusations that the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) watchdog was not sufficiently equipped to investigate police misconduct.

Police spokesperson Tse Chun-Chung said the police force had a “two-tier mechanism” to handle complaints, and that police provided the necessary support to the IPCC.

“It’s unfair to comment on the content on that findings report before it is published,” he said. “IPCC agreed to put out the interim report within 6 months and we should all be patient to give them the time and space to put that report together.”

International experts call for inquiry: Over the weekend, a group of overseas experts appointed by the city government said the IPCC did not have the necessary “powers, capacity, and independent investigative capability to match the scale of events.”

The experts said in a statement that a more comprehensive inquiry would be needed to establish a representative body of evidence. Protesters have been calling for an inquiry for months – but city leaders said the IPCC was sufficient.

In response to the experts’ statement, the IPCC said it was “disappointed” that they did not consult with the council before making it public, and the Hong Kong government said that the IPCC’s study was “by no means a final report.”

Responding to the shooting of a protester by police this morning, Amnesty International Hong Kong has condemned what it said was a “another shocking low” for the city’s police force.

A man is detained by riot police during a protest in Hong Kong on November 11, 2019.

Police have arrested 266 people today, a spokesperson said at an ongoing press conference.

The people arrested ranged from 11 to 74 years old, Some of the charges include unlawful assembly, possession of offensive weapons, attack of police officers, violation of the face mask ban, and attempted murder. 

Police also said that protesters had vandalized or blocked roads at 120 locations across the city.

It’s been a long day of violence, tear gas, flash mob demonstrations, general strikes, and disrupted traffic. There have been several incidents of stunning violence, marking new escalations in the movement – including a man set on fire, a protester shot by police, and a police officer driving his motorcycle into a crowd.

Police said at an ongoing press conference that the protester shot by an officer this morning is out of surgery, and that there was no “immediate threat to his life.”

The live round had been fired into his left abdomen, a police spokesperson said. Other protesters then tried to grab the injured protesters, leading the officer to fire a second and third live shot, which didn’t hit anybody.

The police said they were investigating the case, but added that it had happened at “lightning speed.”

In a press conference Monday afternoon, police addressed the shooting that took place earlier this morning.

The shooting: Early this morning, a 21-year-old protester was shot by a police officer and hospitalized in critical condition. At the press conference, a spokesperson said said the officer had been clearing road barricades when several masked men “surrounded” him, one of whom appeared to be carrying a metal pole.

A 21-year-old protester was shot by a police officer and hospitalized in critical condition. At the press conference, a spokesperson said said the officer had been clearing road barricades when several masked men “surrounded” him, one of whom appeared to be carrying a metal pole.

One of the men moved forward, and the officer tried to arrest him, but a second protester tired to take the officer’s gun, the spokesperson said – which led to the officer opening fire. The spokesperson said there was “no chance” for the officer to issue a warning, and that the officer had felt his life was in danger.

Two people have been arrested, and police are still looking for two more people related to the incident. The case is under investigation, and police will review surveillance footage of the incident, they said.

According to the police, the officer has had his personal information released online and his family targeted.

Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, a police spokesperson said an officer involved in an incident this morning in which he appeared to attempt to run over protesters on his motorcycle has been suspended.

The officer has been removed from all front line duties and put on leave, effective immediately, police said, adding that they took the case seriously and were investigating.