Chinese news agency office attacked

Hong Kong, November 2

Anti-government protesters attacked the Hong Kong office of China’s official Xinhua News Agency for the first time on Saturday after chaos broke out downtown, with police firing tear gas and demonstrators hurling gasoline bombs as the protest movement approached the five-month mark.

Streets in the upscale Causeway Bay shopping area and Victoria Park were clouded in tear gas, prompting thousands of protesters to flee as riot police moved swiftly to stymie a rally demanding meaningful autonomy after Beijing indicated it could tighten its grip on the Chinese territory.

The police deployed at least two water cannon trucks in the vicinity. They had issued warnings to protesters who occupied the area that they were attending an unauthorised rally. Some protesters stormed Xinhua’s office in the city’s Wan Chai neighbourhood. They smashed its glass door entrance and windows, splashed red ink, sprayed graffiti and set a small fire in the office lobby. — AP