21 HK officers hurt in weekend protests

Twenty-one officers were injured in Hong Kong over the weekend when they were attacked by violent protesters, said Kong Wing-cheung, senior superintendent of police, who spoke at a news conference in Hong Kong on Monday afternoon.

They were bloodied in assaults by protesters mainly using bricks and iron bars. Also, 86 of the protesters were detained over the weekend, police said.

In the most severe case, a protester thrust a sharpened iron rod and wounded a police officer in the back when he was inside a police vehicle on Sunday, said Tse Chun-chung, chief superintendent of the police public relations branch.

Sunday's protests took place in Tsuen Wan and nearby areas. But some extremely violent protesters deviated from the original routes, obstructing roads, vandalizing shops and facilities and attacking officers, police said.

Video footage posted online showed the protesters using iron poles, sharpened metal rods and umbrellas to attack the officers, who were assigned to handle reports of vandalism at shops in the area.

Retreating, the officers held up shields to protect themselves. A warning shot was fired when one officer fell to the ground while retreating. Officials said it was the first time police had fired a warning shot since protests against the shelved extradition amendment bill broke out in mid-June.

The officer who fired his service revolver exercised great restraint, and his use of force was necessary and reasonable, said Mak Chin-ho, assistant commissioner of police operations, saying the officer was facing a "life-or-death" situation and his decision to fire was in self-defense.

Protesters had shown "a clear intention to take the life" of the officer who fell to the ground, Mak said. Firing a shot in the air was a warning to keep things from worsening, Mak said.

At a government interdepartmental news conference on Monday, Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung condemned the escalating protests, which "showed a total disregard for law and order".

Cheung also extended gratitude and support to police for enforcing laws, calling it "the most solid defense" of Hong Kong's security.

"It was one horrible night," said Lee Wing, a retired carpenter who spent most of his 60 years in Tsuen Wan. "In the old days, my parents would not let me out at night because mobsters might fight. Now I have to do the same with my kids."