The act that sent a safe city like Hong Kong into complete chaos

After years of peaceful protests in Hong Kong, something snapped this week and unleashed brutal chaos on the city. No one saw it coming.

The world has watched on Sunday as over 500,000 people took to the streets of Hong Kong to protest a proposed extradition bill involving China.

We watched as the rally descended into chaos and turned violent when protesters clashed with police.

As videos started to emerge of people being tear gassed and police firing continuous rounds of bullets into screaming crowds, one could be forgiven for assuming Hong Kong was a violent, dangerous city.

But this couldn’t be further from the truth and when compared to similar sized cities it is actually one of the safest in the world.

Hong Kong is known for its peaceful protests, but this demonstration quickly took a dark turn. Picture: Kin Cheung/AP

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For a population of just over seven million people the amount of crimes being committed is surprisingly low.

During the first four months of 2019 the police recorded just 26,000 violent crimes, while a similar sized city like London recorded more than 70,000 reports.

The whole of New South Wales only has a few thousand more people than Hong Kong, yet even here the crime statistics are much higher.

In the past four months the city only saw 29 robberies reported, while NSW had 848 in the same amount of time.

Hong Kong has a very low violent crime rate compared to other city’s of similar size. Picture: Kin Cheung/AP

The brutal response from police is one that hasn’t been seen in years. Picture: Vincent Yu/AP

The violence that we have been seeing over the last few days is completely out of character for what is normally a safe and peaceful part of the world.

Organised protests are a common occurrence in Hong Kong and have long been used by citizens as a way to express their political views.

What isn’t common is the brutal tactics that have been used by police during these recent mass demonstrations.

Mass protests and marches that have occurred in the past have been largely peaceful and respectful from both the police and the demonstrators.

As citizens never get to vote for their own leader, protesting has become an important tool to have their voices heard.

During the 2014 Umbrella Movement, tens of thousands of people poured into major arteries of Hong Kong Island calling for democratic elections.

Police baton charge and bash an unarmed young man. #hongkong #AntiELABhk pic.twitter.com/yTOcLgYfGS

— Adam Ni (@adam_ni) June 12, 2019

pic.twitter.com/ean6ZgOlsN

— Nathan VanderKlippe (@nvanderklippe) June 12, 2019

As part of those protests, recycling stations, internet cafes and art installations were set up around the city.

In an attempt to disperse the crowds, police used tear gas and pepper spray on protesters.

It was unsuccessful and drew such backlash from citizens that even more people started to join the cause.

The reaction caused police to take a very different approach for the rest of the three month protest, with tough tactics like this not used for the rest of the occupation.

This is why the use of brutal force by the Hong Kong police during the protests happening now has come as such a shock.

A protester reacts as police officers clash with protesters. Picture: Vincent Yu/AP

HOW IT STARTED

It is believed more than a million people marched through the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday, June 9 in the largest protest the city has seen in more than a decade.

Young and old, lawyers and business people, students and CEOs joined together to oppose an extradition law that would allow suspects to be sent to China to face trial.

In the early hours of Monday morning, several hundred demonstrators broke through barriers at government headquarters and pushed their way into the lobby, clashing with riot police, who used batons and tear gas to force them back.

20190612開始，歷時大約15小時的航拍紀錄
大家看到警民比例嗎？如果抗爭者是暴徒，相信片段中大部份警察已送院治療！#這裡是香港#反送中 pic.twitter.com/YLk5UvjRmZ

— 香港人 (@imka1a) June 13, 2019

Tensions continued to rise as the days went on, with police firing rubber bullets at protesters who gathered outside the city’s legislature.

Police used pepper spray, tear gas and batons to force crowds back, while some individuals were chased.

So much tear gas was used, commuters in nearby subway stations and shopping malls were impacted, according to the New York Times. Many had to seek medical treatment.

A furious Hong Kong politician turned on police, accusing them of being disrespectful as chaos ensued near the parliament.

She screamed at Hong Kong police to stop the brutality amid protests over mainland China extradition#HongKongProtest #ExtraditionBill pic.twitter.com/kSoQTmxTVm

— In the NOW (@IntheNow_tweet) June 13, 2019

Charles Mok visited the protest, defending the crowd as “well-meaning citizens” exercising freedom of expression.

“I am worried that they (police) might just use force to remove these people and arrest them all,” Mr Mok said. “This is not Hong Kong.”

By Friday, things had started to calm down but the prospect of more protests remained.

Protesters had kept up a presence through Thursday night, singing hymns and holding up signs criticising the police for their handling of the demonstrations.

Police said they had arrested 11 people on charges such as assaulting police officers and unlawful assembly.

Police officer fires tear gas at protesters. Picture: Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

Police Commissioner Stephen Lo Wai-chung said 22 officers had been injured in the fracas and hospital administrators said they treated 81 people for protest-related injuries.

Several hundred young protesters gathered on Thursday on a pedestrian bridge across from the government complex, standing for hours and singing Sing Hallelujah to the Lord, while holding signs with messages such as “Don’t Shoot” and “End the Violence”.

Other signs criticised the police for their use of force in fighting back against protesters, including firing tear gas and rubber bullets and striking out with steel batons.

The debris-strewn area around government headquarters was blocked off by police while sanitation workers gathered rubbish and police officers checked the identity cards of pedestrians before letting them into the area.

The possibility of more protests flaring up over the weekend still looms large.