In Hong Kong, the intense confrontation at a local university has garnered international attention as protesters continue to be holed up inside the campus in defiance of a police siege.
The ages of these protesters are not known. Police have been known to arrest protesters over the age of 18 who voluntarily leave the campus on suspicion of rioting. People under the age of 18 have been allowed to go home but police have collected their personal information.
At the time of writing, it is not known how many protesters are still inside PolyU.
Intense clashes between police and protesters at PolyU began this weekend.
On Sunday, the police surrounded the campus and sealed off any exit to prevent protesters from leaving. People were also prevented from entering, aside from medics and special mediators who arrived at the scene.
On Nov. 20, Hong Kong’s secretary of security John Lee said that about 600 people over the age of 18 had surrendered to police and had subsequently been arrested on suspicion of rioting.
Inside PolyU, protesters left messages on pavements and walls. For instance, somebody left the words “Free HK” on a building pillar.
Protesters also left a message addressed to the international community. It stated: “Dear world, CCP [Chinese Communist Party] will infiltrate your government, Chinese enterprise $ interferes your political stance, China will harvest your home like Xinjiang.
“Be aware or be next,” the statement warned.
The U.S. State Department and experts have estimated that more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities are currently detained inside internment camps in Xinjiang as part of the Chinese regime’s crackdown on “extremism.” Beijing claims that these camps are “vocational training centers.”
Outside these camps, authorities have turned the region into a police state, with Xinjiang’s population being subject to constant surveillance.
