HONG KONG – The city’s metro system will stay shut on Saturday, the rail operator said, paralyzing transport in the Asian financial hub after a night of chaos.
Friday’s protests across the Chinese-ruled city erupted hours after its leader Carrie Lam invoked colonial-era emergency powers last used 50 years ago to ban face masks which demonstrators use to conceal their identities.
Increasingly violent demonstrations that have roiled the city for four months began in opposition to a bill introduced in April that would have allowed extradition to mainland China but have since spiraled into a broader pro-democracy movement.
Lam, Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed leader, said the ban on face masks that took effect from Saturday was ordered under emergency laws allowing authorities to “make any regulations whatsoever” in what they deem to be the public interest. (Reuters)
