Hong Kong airport has resumed operations after a night of chaos which saw protesters clash with riot police.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled on Tuesday after protesters flooded the terminal buildings.

Early on Wednesday flights appeared to be running as scheduled, though some still remained delayed or cancelled.

After days of disruptions, the Airport Authority said it had obtained a temporary injunction banning protesters from entering certain areas.

It said in a statement that people would be “restrained from attending or participating in any demonstration or protest… in the airport other than in the area designated by the Airport Authority”.

It comes as Hong Kong enters its tenth week of anti-government protests.

The airport, one of the world’s busiest, has been the site of daily protests since last Friday but they have been mostly peaceful until chaos broke out on Tuesday.

Protesters blocked travellers from accessing flights, using luggage trolleys to build barriers. They also staged a mass sit-down, bringing chaos to the departure area.

Police, wearing riot gear and brandishing truncheons later arrived at the airport, where they clashed with protesters.

In one video posted to social media, a policeman is seen frantically drawing his gun at protesters after being attacked with his own truncheon.

Protesters had boxed him into a corner after prying the baton from his hands during a violent skirmish. After collapsing to the ground, the policeman was eventually dragged to safety by his fellow officers.

The government has condemned the violence at the airport, saying it would take action against those found responsible.

In a statement on Wednesday, it called the “violent acts… outrageous” and added that they had “overstepped the bottom line of a civilised society”.

Anti-government protests started in June in response to a proposed extradition bill, which has now been suspended, but have evolved into a more demanding pro-democracy movement.

They are being fuelled by fears that the freedoms Hong Kong enjoys as a special administrative region of China are being eroded.

Source: Read Full Article