Chinese state media on Tuesday ended its blackout of the Hong Kong protests, broadcasting footage of “serious illegal actions” after a group of demonstrators stormed the parliament building on Monday night. Censors allowed clips to be shown of the ransacking of the legislature, where protesters smashed through glass barriers before daubing pro-democracy slogans on the walls and displaying a British colonial flag. The break-in provoked a rare split in the protest movement as some demonstrators said the actions of a few hundred could undermine the peaceful behaviour of millions. For more than a month protesters have flooded the streets in an attempt to block a proposal that would allow the extradition of suspects to the Chinese mainland, the latest in what they complain are a string of power-grabs by Beijing. Opposition lawmakers and some protesters questioned if the police deliberately allowed violence to spiral in order to justify a potential crackdown. Police officers stand guard at the Legislative Council Building after protesters stormed the building in Hong Kong Credit: Rex On Tuesday the UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt warned China of “serious consequences” if it sought to use the disorder as a pretext for further interference in the colony Britain agreed to hand-over in 1997. “The UK signed an international binding legal agreement that enshrines the ‘one country, two systems rule,’ enshrines the basic freedoms of the people of Hong Kong, and we stand four square behind that agreement, four square behind the people of Hong Kong,” Mr Hunt told the BBC. Beijing on Tuesday described the protesters actions, which came on the anniversary of Britain's handover of the territory, as “totally intolerable”. “The violent attacks…are serious illegal acts that trample on the rule of law and endanger social order,” said Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry. Hong Kong protests: riot police baton charge and fire tear gas to clear demonstrations at parliament, in pictures State-run newspapers ran condemnatory editorials as Chinese audiences saw their first footage of the protests, something censors have sought to prevent for fear it could inspire others on the mainland. “These violent assailants in their arrogance pay no heed to Hong Kong’s law, no doubt arousing the anger and sadness of all people of the city of Hong Kong,” said an editorial in Global Times, a Communist Party mouthpiece. While Hong Kong's leaders last month suspended the extradition bill given the massive outcry, protesters used the traditional pro-democracy march on the anniversary of the handover to demand its complete removal. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam speaks to media over an extradition bill in Hong Kong Credit: Reuters “Temporary suspension of the bill means that until next July, the Hong Kong government can freely reactive the legislative process of the bill, so the threat still exists,” Joshua Wong, a key activist, told the Telegraph, as current legislators will remain in office until election. But some fear the movement may now lose momentum. There are no demonstrations planned for the rest of the week and the main protest site was empty most of Tuesday, except for a handful of protesters gathering up placards and discarded supplies. The protests had largely been peaceful before Monday, in contrast with what many described as police brutality when authorities unleashed tear gas and rubber bullets on the crowds. On Monday night pro-democracy lawmakers even begged the young demonstrators to stop as they rammed metal trolleys and poles against the building’s windows. A protester waves the Union Jack in Hong Kong's parliament on Monday Credit: PHILIP FONG/ AFP The break-in was “extremely divisive,” said Sampson Wong, an independent artist and activist, adding that most demonstrators “prefer much more peaceful ways to express themselves.” Opposition MP Claudia Mo told the Telegraph she thought the police had let protesters into the Legislative Council in order to boost Beijing's narrative that those involved were hooligans. “It's hard to convince people that was a normal phenomenon,” she said, of reports that police had hung back for hours while protesters smashed their way into the Legislative Council. “Nobody would endorse vandalism, but then they were so desperate; they just wanted their voices to be heard, and they wanted the international community's attention,” Ms Mo added. Hong Kong protests Mr Wong on Tuesday said that protesters had “tried everything else” to force the removal of the bill, adding that while he had not taken part in the storming of parliament those who did “were not violent” and had behaved with “unimagineable discipline” - leaving, for instance, cash at the cafeteria for drinks they took. The 22-year-old activist who has already served three prison sentences said he feared for those involved, who face up to 10 years in jail for their role in the disorder. “I know full well what lies ahead of them,” he said.
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