Hong Kong protesters have stormed the streets and graffitied the country's legislative building - here are shocking pictures of the city takeover
More than 500,000 protesters, including families and children, took to the streets on Monday afternoon in a peaceful pro-democracy march, a sharp contrast to the turmoil at the Legislative Council building. Protesters held signs with the slogans "Free HK Democracy Now," and "Hong Kong Fights For Democracy."
But, slates of violence erupted in other parts of the city, as protesters relied on homemade shields and umbrellas to protect themselves from police.
Police employed pepper spray and batons in an attempt to disperse the hundreds of protesters who started the day off by occupying the road that led to where the flag-raising ceremony was supposed to occur. The ceremony was eventually moved inside, which officials said was due to "inclement weather."
After unsuccessfully accessing the site of the flag-raising ceremony, protesters tried to enter the headquarters of the Legislative Council. Hundreds surrounded the building, smashing windows and tearing down parts of the glass and metal exterior.
A protester can be seen being dragged on the ground by riot police.
Protesters in face masks and dressed in black moved metal barricades down the street.
Finally, protesters broke through the glass and swarmed the building.
Police appeared to back off as the protesters entered the building, in an attempt to avoid a violent confrontation.
Within the legislative chamber, hundreds of protesters gathered in an act of defiance against the government and Chinese influence.
Portraits of pro-Beijing officials were removed from the walls.
Other protesters spray painted the chamber walls with graffiti slogans such as "release the righteous fighters" and "we want genuine universal suffrage."
The takeover included an unsuccessful attempt to hang a flag from the British colonial period over the city's special administrative region emblem.
When that didn't work, protesters resorted to black spray paint to cover the crest.
Within the building, protesters stood on the desks of lawmakers, ransacked cabinets, and issued their demands. But, they did make sure to leave money in the fridge for the drinks that they took. The building was occupied for three hours.
In response, hundreds of police, dressed in full riot gear, stormed the streets around midnight to disperse the protesters from the legislative building. Police used tear gas and batons to empty the streets.
As of 11 p.m. on Monday night, 38 men and 16 women were taken to the hospital following the day's protests. Around 1 a.m., dozens of police entered the legislative building which, at this point, had been mostly cleared.
Here, a protester wearing a t-shirt with the words 'Revolution' can be seen walking past an etching on the ground that says "Long Live HK."
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