Hong Kong police said on Tuesday that 77 people had been arrested for violating an anti-mask law enacted at the weekend under sweeping emergency powers. The law was passed in an effort by Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam to try to quell often violent anti-government street protests. More than 200 shops and public utilities have been damaged since Friday in the unrest. Police have fired 367 tear gas rounds, a police spokesman said.
After a long weekend of protests saw defiance of the ban on face masks, Lam said the government had no plans to use colonial-era emergency powers to introduce more new laws. Lam also said that the economy has been suffering badly.
Owing to clashes between protestors and police forces that have been going on ever since the protests began four months ago, the number of tourists to the city has dropped incredibly. Retail, catering and hotel sectors have been hit hard too, sending the semi-autonomous city into its first recession.
The protests, which pose the biggest popular challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012, show no signs of abating. Lam, in the meantime, appealed to property developers and landlords to offer relief to retailers whose businesses had been hit. Lam was was in Beijing last week for National Day festivities but said she did not meet any central government officials to discuss "business".
On Friday, rallies degenerated into running clashes with police firing tear gas and charging with shields and batons to disperse protesters across the city. 16 people were charged with violating the anti-mask law.
Cash dispensing machines, Chinese banks and scores of shops were vandalised during protests over the long weekend. Restaurants and malls closed early and Hong Kong's metro was open only partially.
On Sunday, personnel from People's Liberation Army barracks in the territory, for the first time since the protests began, issued warnings and flashed strobes at protesters who were shining laser pointers at the building.
Protestors feel that Beijing has been tightening grip on the city, which, according to them undermines a "one country, two systems" formula promised when Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997. China, however, dismissed these accusations. They feel that nations like Britain and the US have been fanning anti-China sentiments.
Hong Kong outcome could affect US-China relations
US President Donald Trump said that if anything bad happened in Hong Kong it would be bad for the US-China trade talks.
US President Donald Trump on Monday urged a "humane solution" in Hong Kong but noted that the crowds protesting against Chinese authorities were smaller than before.
He remarked on the "great people over there" and said, "they're flying the American flag." He, however, avoided explicitly expressing support for the protestors who have been displaying defiance against the Chinese communist rule. He did, however, comment that they might be losing steam.
At the start, "I saw two million people. I've never seen anything like it," Trump said. "The crowd size is much smaller now, so maybe that's saying something."