As Hong Kong protests grind on, China warns "the end is coming"
Hong Kong — Pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong continued Monday with a general strike and a school boycott. It was the start of a new semester for students in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory, but protest organizers told CBS News correspondent Ramy Inocencio that as many as 10,000 students from 200 schools were skipping class.
High school students at one rally told CBS News they were grateful for the support they've received from other Hong Kongers. But the demonstrations over China's perceived efforts to curtail the city's unique freedoms come after a weekend of chaos.
Thousands of protesters swarmed Hong Kong's airport Sunday in an effort to shut it down again, and force the world to pay attention to their demands.
This time they were prevented from entering the terminal buildings because of a court injunction, so they blocked traffic instead, and threw objects onto the airport link's rails, shutting down the service.
Protesters built barricades to block the airport rail service just one stop away from the airport itself. The action forced many travelers to make the 45 minute trek to the airport from that point on foot.
Riot police gathered down the road, and it looked like things were heading for a confrontation. In the end there was no clash, and although about two-dozen flights were cancelled, the airport managed to remain open and operational.
Saturday was more violent, with protesters assaulting government headquarters. They threw bricks and fire bombs. Police fired back with tear gas and water cannon that were tinted with blue dye, so those hit could be easily identified later.
Undercover police were attacked by protesters, and again they fired warning shots. In the subway, the police beat and pepper sprayed screaming passengers.
Inocencio says Hong Kong's police, once so respected, are now distrusted…even feared.
On Monday an editorial in Chinese state media warned "the end is coming for those attempting to disrupt Hong Kong."
It didn't give detail on any specific upcoming action, but it could be referring to a potential crackdown by Chinese troops, who have massed both inside Hong Kong territory, and just across the border in southern China.