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The airport of Hong Kong found on Wednesday morning a normal activity the day after a second day of chaos and clashes between police and pro-democracy demonstrators, while Beijing accentuates its threats of intervention.
Departing flights resumed normally on Wednesday morning and check-in counters were operating while the vast majority of protesters left the airport - a handful remained on the spot, most of them sleeping.
Tuesday, while tens of thousands of passengers were penalized by this new protest action , China has increased the threat of intervention, through videos broadcast by its official media showing forces massing on the border of the semi region -Autonomous.
Pepper gas
In the evening, police used pepper spray while escorting a man evacuated by ambulance from the airport, denounced by the demonstrators as an undercover police officer. Their van was blocked by a few hundred radical protesters. The police then went out to clear the way, spraying gas and arresting at least two people.
Shortly after, another man was evacuated by ambulance after being beaten by a small group accusing him of being a spy. The Global Times , the official Chinese daily, said he was one of his reporters.
Unprecedented mobilization
On the fifth day of an unprecedented mobilization at the airport, protesters blocked the aisles and passages leading to the boarding areas. In response, the airport authorities canceled the registrations for all scheduled flights from the middle of the afternoon.
Scuffles between impatient passengers and #AntiELAB protesters like this happened a few times along the cart chain outside the north departure gate. Frustration is driving up tensions, and protesters' loud singing of 'sorry' is not really accepted. pic.twitter.com/ujvgazk6y6
Xinqi Su (@XinqiSu) August 13, 2019( with AFP )