HK protests intensify

Antigovernment protests in Hong Kong, ongoing since June 9, 2019, increased in intensity in November after a protester was shot at close range by police on Nov. 11. That same night, after the shooting, protesters lit a counterprotester on fire. Both victims survived their injuries.

Protests continued to ramp up in intensity, culminating in protesters’ taking over the campus of Hong Kong University on Nov. 14, keeping police back with fire bombs and bows and arrows. Police laid siege to the campus, arresting any students attempting to leave. The campus remained in the hands of protesters until Nov. 25.

During the protests in November, Chinese Army soldiers, who have been stationed just outside the city in what has been described as a show of force, left their barracks to clean Hong Kong streets from which protesters had been removed. Though they were unarmed, the presence of the Chinese Army in the city concerned residents.