China has accused protesters who vandalised Hong Kong’s parliament on Monday of “serious illegal actions” that “trample on the rule of law”.
A group of activists occupied the Legislative Council (LegCo) building for several hours after breaking away from a peaceful protest.
Hundreds of police used tear gas to clear the building.
Beijing urged the city to investigate what it called the “criminal responsibility of violent offenders”.
Hong Kong is part of China, but run under a “one country, two systems” arrangement that guarantees it a level of autonomy, and rights not seen on the mainland.
Monday’s disorder followed weeks of protests over a controversial extradition law, which critics have said could be used to send political dissidents from Hong Kong to mainland China.
The Chinese government response followed similar remarks by Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam, who condemned what she called the “extreme use of violence” by the protesters at a pre-dawn press conference on Tuesday.
Flanked by Police Commissioner Lo Wai-chung, she said the actions of those who broke into LegCo were “something that we should seriously condemn, because nothing is more important than the rule of law in Hong Kong”.
The government suspended the extradition bill last month and it is now unlikely to pass, but the protesters want it scrapped completely and are calling on Ms Lam to stand down.
What happened on Monday?
Monday was the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
The day is marked by an annual pro-democracy march, but this year’s event was expected to be larger than usual.
There were some scuffles in the early morning, as protesters blocked streets around the venue where Ms Lam was attending the annual flag-raising ceremony.
At around midday, dozens of demonstrators broke off from the main protest and made their way to LegCo.
They effectively besieged the building, as a large crowd of several hundred watched from a distance, before eventually smashing their way through the glass facade.
Inside, they defaced the emblem of Hong Kong in the central chamber, raised the old British colonial flag, spray-painted messages across the walls and shattered furniture.
At about midnight outside the building, protesters clad in plastic helmets and brandishing umbrellas retreated from a baton charge by riot police, who quickly overcame their makeshift barriers.
Within an hour, the streets around the building were clear of everyone except the media and police.
What did Carrie Lam say?
Speaking in the early hours outside the police headquarters, Ms Lam said it was a scene that “really saddens… and shocks a lot of people”.
She contrasted Monday’s tumultuous events with the annual peaceful march on 1 July, which she said reflected “the core values we attach to peace and order” in Hong Kong.
Source: bbc.com