15-year-old in critical condition after police hit him with tear gas

Several districts in Hong Kong report clashes overnight. The protest moves to university campuses. Riot police try to clear the barricades near Baptist University. Chinese University students ask the police to stay outside the university: the High Court says no.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A 15-year-old boy is in critical condition after being hit in the head during overnight clashes between protesters and police forces in Tin Shui Wai (in the New Territories). At about 10pm yesterday, the boy (photo 2) was outside the Kingswood Richly Plaza shopping center when, according to preliminary reports, a tear gas container struck him in the head. The young man underwent four-hour brain surgery and has since been in the intensive care unit of the Tuen Mun hospital.

A 70-year-old housekeeper is also in critical condition, he was left in critical condition after being shot in the head at Sheung Shui (photo 3). Local media report that it was a brick thrown by unknown people that hit the elderly man. The government says the man "was hit in the head by hard objects thrown by masked men during his lunch break". An executive spokesman said he felt outraged by the rioters' evil deeds, adding that they had conducted "extremely dangerous and violent acts" and deliberately assaulted members of the public.

This morning, Hong Kong hospital authorities report that due to yesterday's unrest, in addition to the young boy and the elderly man in critical conditions, 67 people in all are admitted to the hospital: 29 in stable conditions and one still under evaluation. Several districts reported overnight clashes, including Mong Kok, Prince Edward, Kwai Chung, Hung Hom, Sha Tin, Tai Po and Tin Shui Wai. The protesters also set fire to toll booths at the Cross Harbor Tunnel and blocked tunnel traffic.

Following the riots that took place two days ago at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Cuhk), many of the city's university campuses have become places of protest. Riot police attempted to clear the barricades near the Baptist University around 2 am, but encountered resistance from protesters. The agents fired tear gas while the demonstrators fired molotov cocktails. The barricades were restored after the withdrawal of the police. This morning, officers also fired tear gas at Tsim Sha Tsui, near the Polytechnic in response to statements that demonstrators fired an arrow at a group of patrol officers. The police report finding six arrows on the scene, even though no agent was injured.

Last night, the Hong Kong High Court rejected a provisional injunction application filed by the head of the Cuhk student body. It would have forbidden the police to enter the campus without a warrant and to use crowd control weapons without university approval. On 12 November, Cuhk was the epicenter of fierce fighting: protesters and police fought for control of bridge no. 2 on the Sha Tin campus. The day after the violence, teachers, staff members, students and former university students released an "urgent appeal" in which they denounce abuses and ask for an apology from the police.

• hong kong
• china
• economy
• religious freedom
• rule of law
• extradition
• democracy
• carrie lam
• police violence
• diocese of hong kong
• joseph ha
• xi jinping
• chinese university