Beijing says Hong Kong protests 'trample on the rule of law'

Damage incurred a day after protests broke out in Hong Kong.
(Image credit: Jorge Silva/Reuters)

China's state media was silent about the mass demonstrations in Hong Kong on Monday. But Beijing spoke up on Tuesday, denouncing the protests as "radical" and accusing the protesters of trampling on the rule of law.

Monday's demonstrations, which are part of a series of protests sparked by a controversial bill proposal that would allow extradition from Hong Kong to mainland China, coincided with the 22nd anniversary of the day Britain ceded the city to China. A group of mostly young activists smashed their way into Hong Kong's legislative council where they wreaked havoc. The chaos drew China's ire, with the government adding that they would support Hong Kong's persecution of those behind the "atrocities."

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.