Nov. 3 (UPI) — A pro-democracy politician was attacked in Hong Kong on Sunday as demonstrators continued to clash with authorities in ongoing protests.
An unidentified man — who had reportedly gone on a stabbing spree — grabbed District Councilor Andrew Chiu in Tai Koo Shing and bit part of his left ear off in a violent attack as the pro-democracy protests entered their 22nd consecutive weekend.
A nearby crowd attacked and subdued the man before police arrived at the scene.
Elsewhere, pro-democracy demonstrators smashed a ticketing counter in a subway station and were pursued by police into a shopping mall where demonstrators and mall patrons flashed laser beams at the officers.
Also Sunday, Chinese Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily published commentary stating that civil servants who side with the protesters will “burn with” them.
“There is no middle ground on the issue of fighting against riots and unrest in Hong Kong,” the newspaper stated. “No matter whether they have given silent approval out of sympathy or connived to give support, there will be only one end to those civil servants who join the ‘black terror.’ They will lose their careers and future.”
The paper also criticized a since-revoked order by the Lands Department to require mainland banks in Hong Kong to remove protective shutters installed on their branches amid attacks from demonstrators targeting businesses linked to the mainland.
Chinese media also condemned a petrol attack on Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency, on Saturday, with People’s Daily referring to the attack as a “serious provocation against the bottom line of civilized society and a challenge to public order.”
