Hong Kong schools to close on Thursday as violence escalates with protesters carrying arrows and javelins

HONG KONG — All schools in Hong Kong will suspend classes on Thursday (Nov 14) due to transportation and safety reasons, the Hong Kong Education Bureau said on Wednesday.

The education bureau made the announcement in a statement as it urged protesters to stop all violent acts.

The Chinese-ruled city prepared for more clashes on Wednesday evening as anti-government protesters paralysed parts of the Asian financial hub for a third day, with some transport links, schools and many businesses closing after an escalation of violence.

Earlier at noon, about 1,000 protesters blocked roads in the heart of the city's Central business district at lunchtime. Wearing the now-banned face masks and dressed in office wear, the anti-government protesters marched and hurled bricks onto roads lined with some of the world's most expensive real estate and luxury flagship stores.

Scores of riot police tried to disperse the crowds near the stock exchange, wrestling some people to the ground and beating others with batons.

Protesters and police had battled through Tuesday night at university campuses only hours after a senior police officer said the Chinese-ruled city had been pushed to the "brink of a total breakdown".

Protesters are angry about what they see as police brutality and meddling by Beijing in the freedoms guaranteed under the "one country, two systems" formula put in place when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

CAMPUSES REMAIN A BATTLEGROUND

Many campuses remained tense on Wednesday with students setting up barricades. Some perched on bridges to keep guard while others checked people coming in. Rows of riot police, some in trucks, watched the students but did not try to break through. The protests typically get more violent as night falls.

At the battered Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) after a long night of clashes with police who retaliated with tear gas, black-clad protesters stood on a makeshift watch tower at one of the campus entrances on Wednesday.

They were armed with arrows, javelins and bamboo poles — the new weapons of choice for anti-government protesters in the city in their fifth month of pro-democracy demonstrations.

The two days of chaos earlier this week has resulted in 81 injured, with two in serious condition, according to the authorities.

"We use arrows and spill oil near the barricades. We also use 'fire magic' (petrol bombs) and arrows with fire that will widen our distance with the police and make sure we can retreat safely," said a student who identified himself as Kin.

Most of the bows and arrows, and javelins used by the students were taken from the school, he added.

Chinese state media condemned the violence, with the China Daily newspaper saying young protesters were revelling in a "hormone-fuelled rebellion".

"Every revolution and changes in the society rely on the university students because we have a higher moral standard and we have an obligation to do so, therefore we must do it," said Kin. AGENCIES