Mass protest in Hong Kong over China intervention

Street battles erupted as thousands in Hong Kong protested China's intervention in a dispute over whether two recently elected pro-independence lawmakers should be barred from taking office.

On Sunday scuffles broke out and police pepper-sprayed some demonstrators as they marched from Wan Chai district to the city's Central financial district, with several hundred pressing on to Beijing's Liaison Office - where demonstrators charged metal fences set up by police.

"This is outrageous," said Jay, a bespectacled 21-year-old student who wore a mask to protect against the pepper spray.

"The Chinese government is destroying Hong Kong's judicial independence. It's an attempt to control what we think. Even people who are against independence are coming out against this."

Some protesters threw bottles at security forces and others hoisted open umbrellas in the air - a symbol reminiscent of student-led pro-democracy demonstrations in 2014 when hundreds of thousands came out and blocked key Hong Kong streets, attracting global attention.
 [aljazeera.com]
6/11/16