Photo taken on August 4 shows Golden Bauhinia blakeana statue at the Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Photo: Chen Qingqing/GT

 
Experts on Sunday strongly condemned the rioters for vandalizing the Golden Bauhinia blakeana statue in Hong Kong, which is widely seen as a symbol of Hong Kong's autonomy. 

Around 9 pm, protesters threw rocks and spray-painted insults on the Golden Bauhinia Blakeana statue at the Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai. Demonstrators quickly ran from the scene after desecrating what has long stood as the symbol for Hong Kong's autonomy.

The statue was a gift from the central government and marked Hong Kong's handover on July 1, 1997.

"Vandalizing the Golden Bauhinia Blakeana, which represents the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's autonomy is a direct attack on the rule of the Hong Kong government," Tian Feilong, a legal expert and associate professor at Beihang University, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

"This provides more solid evidence to charge the rioters," Tian added. 

Sunday was another chaotic day in Hong Kong following a day of unrest.

Around 6 pm, protesters at a public meeting in the Western District left the Belcher Bay Park for Des Voeux Road West and headed toward Central, which deviated from the official route permitted by police. 

Demonstrators blocked roads and vandalized the office of pro-establishment legislator Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan, near Belcher Bay Park, by scrawling insults on the walls. 

Protesters dressed in black hurled bricks and eggs at the Tseung Kwan O Police Station, breaking windows as they shouted at officers. 

While another group of protestors marched toward the Liaison Office of the Central People's government, police issued a warning and appealed for them to leave as the rally was unauthorized. 

The unrest came a day after clashes between violent protesters and police erupted in the shopping hubs of Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui.  One demonstrator removed the national flag from its flagpole and threw it in the water.

Hong Kong, which has endured chaos since June, has recorded multiple incidents involving the destruction of public symbols and monuments.  

Such acts show the extreme anxiety, relentlessness, and violent behavior of the demonstrators, said Tang Fei, a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies.

"The stance of the central government and the Hong Kong government remains firm, and the violent acts will never shake their position," said Tang, warning the protesters will face severe punishment in accordance with the law.