News Digest

Hong Kong police arrest 22 pro-democracy protesters

Hong Kong police have arrested at least 22 people during a series of protests targeting a senior Chinese official, authorities said Tuesday. Li Fei, a senior member of China’s rubber stamp parliament, has been dogged by angry demonstrations throughout his visit to the former British colony – including lawmakers heckling him during a speech on Monday. The city has been plunged into political crisis after pro-democracy activists vowed to take over the streets of the city’s financial district following Beijing’s refusal to grant citizens full universal suffrage.

During the protest, the participants forcibly pushed the mills barriers, charged the police cordon line and dashed onto the carriageway.

Hong Kong police in a statement

Li is in town to explain China’s controversial proposal to control who stands for the top post in the city’s next leadership election, a decision that has prompted pro-democracy activists to embark on what they describe as a new “era of civil disobedience”. Officers made 19 arrests outside the luxury Grand Hyatt Hotel in the Wan Chai district of the city late Monday. Eighteen of the protestors were arrested for “unlawful assembly”. The other activist was arrested for obstructing a police officer.