Teenage boy shot as protests rage in Hong Kong
Hong Kong — Weeks of anti-government protests in Hong Kong took another violent turn when a teenage boy was shot as protests raged into the night. Mass transit service in the city was suspended after protesters set fires at train station entrances and smashed ticketing facilities.
Hong Kong was on eerie lockdown Saturday with shopping malls — filled with luxury stores — closed and the entire subway system shut down. The government said if people didn't condemn the violence, then they're stoking it.
Police on Saturday morning exercised their new powers of arrest. At midnight, thousands remained on the street, many stranded after the city's expansive metro system was completely shut down.
In the suburbs, protesters attacked a plainclothes police officer with petrol bombs, while a teenage boy was injured by gunfire — the second teenager shot in just three days.
Protesters directed their anger toward Beijing, targeting Chinese-owned businesses and burning a banner celebrating China's anniversary.
The demonstrations, at first peaceful, began almost immediately after Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's chief executive, announced a ban on the wearing of masks at all future rallies.
Many in Hong Kong do feel their liberties are being eroded. Protesters are now calling on all residents to wear masks, every single day moving forward, flaunting the new ban. Two more mass protests are planned for the next two days.