Hong Kong after weekend clashes braces for protests

HONG KONG: Two people in critical condition in Hong Kong, police said, after a weekend of chaotic clashes with anti-government protesters.

China has called for a “firm” stance to end months of unrest that have roiled the Asian financial hub.

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Police stormed different shopping malls on Sunday, including Cityplaza, packed with families and children in the eastern suburb of Taikoo Shing.

Protesters in City plaza had formed a peaceful human chain before facing off with police in skirmishes and spraying graffiti on restaurants.

A man carrying a knife wounded several people and apparently bit off part of the ear of a politician. The wounded included a man believed to be the knife-wielder, whom protesters had restrained with sticks.

Demonstrations have been planned during the week as protesters keep up pressure for demands  an independent inquiry into police behavior and the adoption of universal suffrage.

Civil servants are ashamed of the dictatorship of the Hong Kong government and crimes committed by the Hong Kong police force.

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State media of China called for a “tough disciplinary action” against the protesters who vandalized state-run news agency and other buildings, saying the violence damaged the city’s rule of law.

Protesters had smashed up and torched Xinhua’s state run news agency office in some of the worst violence in weeks, setting fire to metro stations and vandalizing buildings, including an outlet of coffee chain Starbucks.

Mainland businesses, including companies and banks seen as supportive of China’s ruling Communist Party, have been targeted by protesters angered by China’s perceived meddling with Hong Kong’s freedom since it returned to Chinese rule.

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China has denied this allegation and accused foreign countries of inciting the protests.

In a statement, police condemned the “rioters’ violent and vandalistic acts” and vowed measures for peoples safety.

Tear gas had been intended to disperse rioters accidentally aimed at a fireman, the police added.

“There was some misconstruction in the verbal communication between both sides,” the police said. “The matter was resolved at the scene.”