HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities suspended subway and train services, queues were formed at closed bank ATMs, and shops closed their doors on Saturday after another night of blaming violence, which led the territory described as “a very dark day.” In a televised speech, as masked protesters returned to the streets in defiance of their newly instituted ban on covering their faces at rallies, Carrie Lam solemnly described that Hong Kong was “semi-paralyzed” and in the hands of a “semi-paralyzed” unprecedented violence.”
The chief executive, however, did not announce additional measures to quell the rise of violence, beyond the ban on wearing masks at rallies, which came into effect in the first minute of Saturday. Lam defended the legality of the measure, denounced by government critics and protesters, claiming it was to protect the daily lives and freedoms of citizens. “I can’t let a small minority of troublemakers destroy that,” he added. Although he said everyone is “worried and scared,” it was also clear that many were upbeat. Protected by umbrellas and many wearing masks, hundreds of protesters obstructed a public road in the central business district. They carried a banner that read “May Glory Be for Hong Kong.” They chanted slogans like, “Hong Kong, resist!” The closure of the entire MTR bus network, which handles more than 4 million trips per day, including the express line to Hong Kong International Airport, caused a major and exceptional disruption in the territory of 7.5 million people.
