The mysterious blue liquid that police throws at protesters in Hong Kong

• Protests: Police near protesters at the University of Hong Kong
• Asia: Elite forces of Chinese prisons to get Hong Kong out of 'total collapse'

The water that has fallen these days from the sky of Hong Kong had a certain blue smurf color. Upon contact with the skin, this liquid causes some irritation. The same goes for the eyes. And the color you leave on clothes is not easily removed. The policemen who throw this dye from their water cannons know it well. It is the perfect tool to identify radical protesters trying to flee and thus be able to stop them. The blue spots give them away.

The agents have used it during the siege of these last four days at the Polytechnic University . This liquid, accompanied by tear gas, was the answer to Molotov cocktails, arrows and gasoline pumps thrown at those who have taken the university campus as their trench.

There are still some kids - the most violent who have championed protests that five months ago were peaceful in search of the "freedom" of a people - clinging to the university walls. Many of his teammates escaped as they could, riding bikes that were in their search. Or climbing the walls. Even trying the sewers. But the police had already blocked all campus exits and their gases trapped more than 800 protesters inside their fortress. Among those who surrendered and those who caught, a total of more than 1,000 detainees . Some with blue-stained clothes.

A month ago, Greenpeace issued a statement in reference to this blue liquid launched from the police water cannons. The NGO claimed that it could contain toxic substances even though the Hong Kong authorities have repeated time and again that it is "harmless."

Greenpeace announced that they had obtained a sample of the blue liquid, checking that it contains dye and adhesive. "It is not just a dye. It may contain a harmful solution for the spraying of tears, including the solution of vanylilamide pelargonic acid or chloroacetophenone, types of toxic chemicals that induce tearing," they explain from the collective. "Although the chemicals in the colored liquid have a low level of lethality, it can cause serious and immediate discomfort to the human body, " they say. The Hong Kong Police continue to maintain that the blue liquid with which they spray the protesters to identify you later is a "non-toxic colored substance".

The first time a controversy broke out with the dye was in October, when large amounts of this blue liquid were thrown from the riot truck over the Kowloon mosque, turning its white facade blue. At the gates of the mosque a small group of young people had concentrated to protect the temple during the riots in the city. To which the agents responded by spraying them with the liquid. Hours later, the head of the Hong Kong executive, Carrie Lam , called the leader of the Islamic community to apologize for what had been "a mistake" by her police.

Today Hong Kong has risen again with a lot of noise. Yesterday's false calm, with the only violent focus concentrated on the students entrenched at the University, has given way to new confrontations between police and protesters in other parts of the city, roads cut by barricades and part of the blocked underground network.

The riot police have surrounded the Polytechnic University, waiting to stop the last radicals left inside, refugees in the gym, who refuse to leave. The local newspaper, South China Morning Post , reported yesterday that police had found 8,000 gasoline pumps ready to explode near the University of China. In addition, from the directives of the university centers of Hong Kong, they have alerted the Police that in their laboratories they have detected that they are missing "multitude of dangerous chemicals", stolen these days during the constant confrontations. On Monday, the police even described the university grounds as "barrels of gunpowder" with unthinkable risks, since the chemicals were toxic and corrosive. Among these, the most poisonous would be zinc cyanide and sodium arsenite.

The battle continues in the former British colony. It's been more than five months. The peaceful protests of the beginning have led to excessive violence. Even the UN warned yesterday in a statement: "The appeal of extreme violence, also against the Police, by some protesters is very unfortunate and has no justification," said spokesman Rupert Colville.

New police chief in Hong Kong

Meanwhile, in the political arena, a new new head of the Hong Kong Police, Tang Ping-keung, was appointed from Beijing yesterday before the resurgence of protests. From within the dome of the Communist Party, it was not very pleasant that the Justice of the financial city knocked down the anti-masks law to identify the protesters.

From the High Court of Justice of Hong Kong issued a statement declaring "unconstitutional" and "incompatible with the Basic Law" the anti-masks law that the head of the Hong Kong Executive, Carrie Lam, had announced on November 5, pulling a colonial era rule that allowed the authorities to pass "any legislation" with the purpose of "restoring order."

On the other hand, from Beijing they maintain that only the National People's Assembly (the Chinese congress) has the power to decide whether or not a law is in accordance with the fundamental law of Hong Kong. " No other institution has the right to make judgments or make decisions," a spokesman for the Chinese parliament said yesterday.

Outside the Chinese borders, from the United States, yesterday the US Senate passed the Hong Kong Law of Democracy and Human Rights, which establishes sanctions on the Chinese authorities responsible for human rights abuses. And they also threaten to review the preferential commercial status granted from Washington. From Beijing, they quickly responded, warning that if President Donald Trump signs the approval of this law, they will take "strong reprisals." "This law obviates the facts and the truth, employs a double standard and shamelessly interferes with Hong Kong affairs, which are internal affairs of China. It is a serious violation of International Law and the basic rules governing international relations," he said. a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

• Hong Kong
• China

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