86 protesters detained over weekend violence

Attacks with metal bars, Molotov cocktails leave 16 police officers severely bruised

Sixteen police officers were injured in the attack by violent protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday, while 86 protesters were detained during the weekend, the Hong Kong police said on Monday.

Five other police officers were injured on Saturday, Kong Wing-cheung, senior superintendent of police, told a news conference in Hong Kong on Monday.

Sunday's protests took place in Tsuen Wan and neighboring areas. Some of the violent protesters deviated from their original route, obstructed roads, vandalized shops and facilities, and attacked officers, Xinhua reported.

The protesters, wearing hats and protective gear, and armed with metal bars, indulged in violence in the afternoon and evening.

Attacks with bricks and metal bars left the police officers badly bruised, with many of them bleeding, Kong said.

"The protesters disregarded law and order. Police severely condemn such violence, which has overstepped the bottom line of a civilized society," the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said in a statement issued earlier on Monday.

Violence during the protests escalated over the weekend "as protesters hurled Molotov cocktails at the security officers who responded with water cannon and tear gas," Reuters reported on Sunday.

When the Hong Kong police used warning flags, and then tear gas, to disperse the crowd, the protesters threw "bricks and gasoline bombs" toward them, the Associated Press reported.

A photo released by AP has captured the moment a man threw a brick at the policemen.

Media reports show that governments and law enforcement authorities in countries such as the United States and France have provided the police with water cannons and tear gas to secure social order in case of violence involving attacks on public servants and local residents.

Hugh H. Mo, a former deputy police commissioner of New York City Police Department, said the police should never be treated as enemies, and the situation in Hong Kong is peculiar for police forces when friendly relations between the police and civilians seem to be coming under stress.

"Here, in New York (city), the right to protest is respected as long as it is carried out in line with laws, but once you don't cooperate with the police in demonstrations, you are taking the risk of committing crimes and being punished by law," Mo told Xinhua on Tuesday.

"Whenever you see an NYPD vehicle on the street, you can't fail to see the three words on its body — Courtesy, Professionalism, and Respect, which serve as a reminder for both the police and the public to respect each other, and defend the dignity of law," he said.

In March, French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to crack down on troublemakers who "want to destroy the republic at the risk of killing people" after yellow vest protesters set life-threatening fires, smashed up luxury stores and clashed with the police.

On Saturday, the French police fired tear gas, water cannon and dispersion grenades at a crowd of about 400 anti-capitalism demonstrators, and the authorities detained 68 people taking part in the protest near the G7 Summit in the town of Bayonne, AP reported.

A few protesters threw rocks at the police, and the police responded with warning shots and then water cannon. The regional administration says those detained are accused of throwing projectiles, concealing faces or possessing objects that could be used as weapons, AP said.