Students under siege: Riot police fire tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters trying to break out of Hong Kong university after worst night of violence saw petrol bombs hurled at officers, building set ablaze and home-made gas canister bombs spotted
- Hong Kong police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters trying to leave Hong Kong university Monday
- Dozens were arrested as they tried to flee, despite earlier reports of a truce to allow activists out of campus
- Comes after the worst night of violence in almost six months of protests, with fire bombs and arrows used
- Police warned for the first time that live ammunition could be used on activists amid fears of major bloodshed
Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters attempting to flee a Hong Kong university campus on Monday morning, trapping them inside after the worst night of violence the city has seen in almost six months of demonstrations.
Hundreds of students at Hong Kong Polytechnic University spent Sunday night attempting to stop police getting on to campus using fire-bombs and bows and arrows, but as day dawned on Monday many of the exhausted activists were trying to escape.
A group of around 100 students attempted to flee at daybreak with help from a second group advancing from outside, trying to break through a police cordon which has encircled the university.
But they were met with a wall of tear gas and rubber bullets, with officers swooping in and arresting dozens of people, battering them with batons or kicking them on the ground.
Police chiefs have warned that they may start using live ammunition on demonstrators if the situation continues to spiral out of control, leading to fears that a long-anticipated massacre could be about to materialise.
Police fire tear gas at students attempting to escape from Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Monday, following a night of violent clashes that saw police officers shot with bows and arrows
Hundreds of students are now trapped on the university campus, where some have been protesting for up to a week over China's control over Hong Kong. Pictured are some students being led away by police
Students spent the night Sunday trying to stop officers entering the campus, but after hours of intense clashes many exhausted activists were desperate to leave and attempted to flee (pictured, captured students are led away)
Groups of protesters from outside the university also attempted to get inside to let the students escape, and were confronted by police wielding batons and firing rubber bullets
A protester who appears to have been shot in the head by a rubber bullet fired by police is placed on a stretcher and taken away from Hong Kong PolyU, which has been the site of intense clashes
Medical staff carry a protester out of the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) during clashes with police
A fire set by protesters burns at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus in Hong Kong. Staff say a number of chemicals have been stolen by demonstrators and the campus has been heavily damaged
An anti-government protester puts out a fire at Hong Kong Polytechnic University amid clashes with police
Images circulated on Monday of what appeared to be a gas canister bomb embedded with shrapnel to be used against police trying to clear students out of Hong Kong PolyU
Protesters stand on the steps of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University after large parts of the campus were set on fire to prevent officers from entering overnight Sunday
Protesters outside the university hold up British and American flags along with a sign reading 'save us' outside the university
Fears for the students grew as:
- State-run Chinese newspaper Global Times suggested bringing in snipers to use live ammunition against the protesters in an editorial
- Editor Hu Xijin said that police officers 'should not have to bear legal responsibility' if protesters are killed
- State-affiliated South China Morning Post described the demonstrators as 'hardcore mobs' and 'rioters' while saying Hong Kong is 'on the brink of total breakdown'
- Protesters formed human chains along empty streets in an attempt to ferry supplies to the students
- Parents tearfully begged police to stand aside and let their children leave the campus, but were ignored
- The British Foreign Office said it was 'seriously concerned' about escalating violence in the city-state, but was slapped down by Chinese officials for interfering
Riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters trying to flee the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Monday morning, after a night of violent clashes
A group of around 100 demonstrators tried to escape the campus at daybreak on Monday, aided by a second group which moved in from outside the police cordon in an attempt to break their lines and allow trapped activists to slip away
Protesters spent most of the night trying to stop police getting into the university but by morning, with many of them exhausted and injured, a large group was trying to escape with help from outside (pictured an arrested protester)
Police have warned that they may start using live ammunition against demonstrators after officers were hit by hails of arrows and petrol bombs overnight, raising fears of widespread bloodshed
Despite earlier reports of a truce between student demonstrators and police at Hong Kong PolyU to allow people to leave, officers fired tear gas and used batons on anyone attempting to flee campus on Monday
Dozens of people were arrested early on Monday with police using batons against people that had fallen to the ground, and kicking some handcuffed activists
Police in riot gear detain protesters amid clouds of tear gas at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University after the worst night of violence in almost six months of demonstrations
A riot police officer points a gun at protesters attempting to escape the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Chiefs confirmed on Monday that live rounds have been fired, but said nobody had been hit
Officers faced off against demonstrators armed with bows and arrows and Molotov cocktails on Sunday. On Monday, they found what appeared to be gas canister bombs covered with nuts and bolts on campus.
An editorial published in the South China Morning Post, which has links to the regime in Beijing, on Monday described the activists as 'hardcore mobs' while warning the city is 'on the brink of total breakdown'.
Anti-government protesters barricaded themselves inside Polytechnic last week. Police surrounded the area on Sunday night and began moving in after issuing an ultimatum for people to leave the area.
The crowd wore raincoats and carried umbrellas to shield themselves from police water cannons.
Riot officers broke in one entrance before dawn as fires raged inside and outside the school, but they did not appear to get very far.
Hong Kong police fought off protesters with tear gas and batons Monday as they tried to break through a police cordon that is trapping hundreds of them on a university campus
A policeman in riot gear points his weapon as protesters try to flee from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong early on Monday, following a night of violent clashes
Anti-government protesters clash with police at Hong Kong Polytechnic University as they attempt to break through a police cordon around the university and escape, after a night spent trying to keep officers out
Police were seen making dozens of arrests on Monday morning as people tried to escape the university, aided by those on the outside who were trying to help them
Officers in riot gear fire tear gas and rubber bullets at students attempting to break out of Hong Kong PolyU after a night of extraordinary violence between demonstrators and police
Hong Kong police fought off protesters with tear gas and batons Monday as they tried to break through a police cordon that is trapping hundreds of them on a university campus
Police could be seen dragging protesters to the floor on Monday as they used batons and boots to subdue them
Officers corner and arrest students fleeing from Hong Kong PolyU after declaring the situation on campus a riot, meaning anyone participating can be punished with up to 10 years in jail
Students carrying umbrellas and upturned tables to protect against police tear gas canisters attempt to leave the campus of Hong Kong PolyU after an night of intense clashes
A female protester is dragged away by riot officers as others are tackled to the floor and arrested following a night of violence
Exhausted demonstrators collapse on the floor inside the university campus after a night of fierce clashes with police
While student activists spent the night trying to keep police off the campus of Hong Kong PolyU, by daybreak many of the exhausted demonstrators were trying to leave, but prevented from doing so
Anti-government protesters flee from the police at Hong Kong PolyU after a night of violence which saw arrows fired at police, and some officers use live ammunition in return
Riot police move in to arrest demonstrators as they try to escape from Hong Kong PolyU in the early hours of Monday
Police chase anti-government protesters as they attempt to flee a university campus where they have been holed up for days as they demand greater autonomy from China
Fiery explosions were seen as protesters responded with petrol bombs. Police, who have warned that everyone in the area could be charged with rioting, reportedly made a handful of arrests.
Shocking footage showed the moment anti-government protesters hurling petrol bombs alight and causing a police truck to burst into flames.
Police have now declared events at PolyU a 'riot' - meaning participation is punishable by up to 10 years in jail.
Fear gripped protesters inside the campus - whose occupation is a twist in tactics by a leaderless movement so far defined by its fluid nature.
One 19-year-old, who gave her name as 'K', said there was desperation among those who remained.
'Some people were crying badly, some were furious, some agonising, because they felt hopeless as we were left no way out of the campus.
'We don't know when the police will storm in.'
Protests erupted in several other parts of peninsula Hong Kong, with makeshift barricades across normally bustling shopping streets, the road surfaces strewn with bricks to hamper vehicles.
Police fired tear gas at groups who had gathered in the Tsim Sha Tsui and Jordan areas, where they also made a number of arrests.
The unrest has rocked previously stable Hong Kong, tipping the international financial hub into recession and frightening off tourists.
What began as a series of huge, peaceful demonstrations against a now-shelved bill to allow extradition to the Chinese mainland has morphed into calls for democracy and an inquiry into police behaviour.
Shocking footage shows the moment anti-government protesters hurling mortar bombs alight and causing a police truck to burst into flames in Hong Kong
Rioters are seen throwing petrol bombs at a flyover near Hong Kong Polytechnic University where they held an all-night stand off with authorities
The police truck is then seen retreating as the protesters are positioned behind a make-shift fort with their faces covered
Flames rise from a large fire started by anti-government protesters in a staircase at the main entrance that leads into the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in the Hung Hom district of Hong Kong
Anti-government protesters start a large fire in a staircase at the main entrance that leads into the Hong Kong Polytechnic University
A fire is seen at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) during an anti-government protest in Hong Kong. Protesters set fires as police stormed the university
A riot police vehicle is set on fire during clashes outside Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong, as police looked to storm the campus
An anti-government protester sets fire to the entrance to Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) to stop police from getting inside
Anti-government protesters had barricaded themselves inside Hong Kong Polytechnic University for days, fighting back with petrol bombs and bows and arrows
A policeman in riot gear detains a protester outside of Hong Kong Polytechnic University as police storm the campus in Hong Kong
A huge blaze burned along much of a long footbridge that connects a train station to the campus over the approach to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel
First aiders provide treatment to an injured person during clashes at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong today
Anti-government protesters watch as a large fire is started by other protesters in a staircase at the main entrance that leads into the Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Police in riot gear prepare to fire as they move into the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong, early Monday
Police fire tear gas at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in Hong Kong, following days of fierce, bitter clashes
Violence has worsened this month, with two men killed in separate incidents.
Demonstrators last week engineered a 'Blossom Everywhere' campaign of blockades and vandalism, which shut down sections of Hong Kong's transport network and closed schools and shopping malls.
In his most strident comments on the crisis, Chinese President Xi Jinping said it threatened the 'one country, two systems' model under which Hong Kong has been ruled since the 1997 handover from Britain.
On Saturday, dozens of soldiers from the Chinese People's Liberation Army briefly left their Hong Kong barracks to help clean-up the streets.
It was a rare and symbolic operation, as the troops are normally confined to barracks and are meant to be only called out in a time of emergency.
Chinese defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian on Monday defended the operation, and repeated warnings from Beijing that the military had the ability to quell the unrest.
'Ending violence and restoring order is the most pressing task we have in Hong Kong,' Wu said.
In a small - but symbolic - victory for demonstrators, Hong Kong's high court on Monday said a government ban on facemasks at demonstrations was unconstitutional.
The ban has been widely flouted and police have found it all-but-impossible to enforce.
Protesters are sprayed with water from water cannon during clashes with police outside Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in Hong Kong
Umbrellas, bricks and a molotov cocktail are seen on a railing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University following the clashes
An injured protester is comforted by a member of the press at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in Hong Kong
Police fire a water cannon during clashes with anti-government protesters outside Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in Hong Kong
The use of bows and arrows and catapult-launched gasoline bombs threatened to escalate the violence in the more than five-month anti-government movement.
Earlier, Hong Kong police said they may use 'live rounds' if officers continue to face protesters wielding 'deadly weapons', the first time in a near-sixth month crisis they have issued the stark warning.
A Hong Kong police officer was hit by an arrow as authorities used tear gas and water cannons to try to drive back protesters occupying a university campus as well as the surrounding streets.
The protests started peacefully in early June, sparked by proposed legislation that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to the mainland.
But by the time the bill was withdrawn, the protests had hardened and broadened into a resistance movement against the territory's government and Beijing.
Activists see the extradition bill as an example of Hong Kong's eroding autonomy under Beijing rule since the 1997 handover from colonial power the UK.
Protesters blocked a bridge above the entrance to the Cross Harbour Tunnel during clashes with police outside Hong Kong Polytechnic University today
A protester throwing an object over a barricade on the bridge above the Cross Harbour Tunnel during clashes with police
Fire erupts as pro-democracy protesters clash with police on a bridge outside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Demonstrators set fire to a barricade to block the Cross Harbour crossing
Protesters watch as a fire burns during a confrontation with police at Hong Kong Polytechnic University as a bridge was blocked by fire
Some demonstrators used a catapult to fire bricks and petrol bombs at the police from inside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University today
A protester prepares to fire an arrow during a confrontation with police at Hong Kong Polytechnic University today. A police officer was struck in the leg from an arrow fired by an unknown demonstrator
A police officer's lower leg has been pierced with an arrow during a confrontation with protesters at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University today
Hong Kong Police Department released images of the media liaison officer's leg with a arrow sticking out of it after he was struck during clashes with protesters
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