Photo: Chen Qingqing/GT

Radical protesters on Saturday continued to sabotage the peaceful life of ordinary Hong Kong residents as the 12th straight weekend of protests again turned violent in the city.   

At around 8 pm Saturday, black-clad protesters set up barricades on Lung Cheung Road in Wong Tai Sin district, paralyzing traffic and obstructing emergency services. Some violent protesters dug up bricks from pavements, local police said. 

Large groups of violent protesters continued to block Lung Cheung Road, Wong Tai Sin, aiming laser beams at police officers and hurling bricks at the police cordon. Such acts pose a serious threat to the residents and officers on the scene, the police said.

Earlier that day, black-clad protesters deviated from the demonstration route permitted by police in the afternoon in Kwun Tong, and some violent protesters maliciously damaged lamp posts on Sheung Yuet Road in the district. 

Around 4 pm, some protesters threw bricks at  Ngau Tau Kok Police Station, constantly provoking the police by shouting out slogans and spray-painting insulting words on the walls of the station. 

Shortly afterward, the police raised red flags to warn off the protesters and fired tear gas. Groups of protesters fled to Kowloon Bay MTR station. 

Photo: Cui Meng/GT

While several protesters spray-painted insulting words about the MTR, a group of others held up umbrellas to cover their illegal acts.

Around 4:30 pm, protesters set fires at Wai Yip Street, and the police raised the black flag as a warning. Rioters ignored the warning and hurled petrol bombs at police, prompting the police to fire tear gas and march forward.

The police warned the protesters to stop all illegal acts. However, many chose to ignore the warnings as they did before. 

A middle-aged local resident loudly condemned the protesters at the Kowloon Bay station, as their illegal activities caused the suspension of rail services.

The police conducted dispersal work around 9 pm, after radical protesters repeatedly provoked the police and ignored warnings.