Guidelines on the use of force by police have been loosened in Hong Kong as the city struggles to stamp out anti-government protests that have rocked the Asian financial hub for nearly four months.

A ban on face masks, using a colonial-era emergency law that has not been used in half a century, is also expected.

The loosening of restrictions on the use of force came into effect shortly before some of the most violent turmoil seen in the protests on Tuesday, with police firing about 1,400 rounds of tear gas, 900 rubber bullets and six live rounds, as protesters threw petrol bombs and wielded sticks.

More than 100 people were wounded, including a teenage school student who was shot in the chest and wounded. It was the first time a demonstrator had been shot by live fire.

In documents seen by Reuters, the police manual changed some guidelines on how officers could act when considering force. It also removed a line that stated officers should be accountable for their actions.

Media also reported on changes to the police procedure manual with effect from September 30, ahead of protests on China’s National Day on Tuesday.

Police declined to comment when asked if amendments had been made.

“The guidelines on the use of force involve details of operation. It may affect the normal and effective operation of the police force and work of police on crime prevention if details are made public,” a spokesperson said,

Police in the former British colony have long been admired for their professionalism compared with some forces elsewhere in Asia.

But the public has become increasingly hostile towards the police over past weeks amid accusations of heavy-handed tactics. Police say they have shown restraint.

Protesters, fired up over the shooting of the young man this week, were planning more demonstrations at shopping malls across 11 districts last night and throughout the weekend.

The opposition to the Beijing-backed government has plunged the city into its biggest political crisis in decades and poses the gravest popular challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping since he came to power.

Protesters are angry about what they see as creeping interference by Beijing in their city’s affairs despite a promise of autonomy in the “one country, two systems” formula under which Hong Kong returned to China in 1997. China dismisses accusations it is meddling and has accused foreign governments, including the United States and Britain, of stirring up anti-China sentiment.

Media reports of an expected ban on face masks, which many protesters wear to conceal their identities and shield themselves from tear gas, sent Hong Kong’s stock market up to a one-week high.

The government decided to impose the ban under the law giving police sweeping emergency powers in a special meeting of the city’s Executive Council, media outlets reported.

Elizabeth Quat, a politician for a pro-Beijing political party, said the measure was aimed at stopping “illegal assemblies”. “This law is not targeting peaceful protesters. It is focused on targeting those rioters who have committed heinous crimes,” she said.

But pro-democracy politicians fear the emergency powers could be used to further curtail freedoms. “To impose an anti-mask law in the current social condition is to further infuriate the people and will definitely be met with escalating violence,” said opposition politician Fernando Cheung. “This is adding fuel to the fire.”

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