Hong Kong protests: Police threaten protesters with guns and water cannons as both sides pass the blame for violence

A policeman has fired a gunshot in Hong Kong, the first time a live round has been used to warn demonstrators since anti-government protests broke out in June.

Photos from Sunday’s heated demonstrations show several other officers pointing guns at protesters as they charged at them with sticks and poles.

In another first, riot police fired water cannons to disperse the crowds earlier in the day.

Hong Kong police said 50 people had been arrested in the weekend’s clashes, the youngest aged just 12.

Police clash with demonstrators on the street after rolling out water cannon trucks for the first time in this summer's pro-democracy protests
AP

Demonstrations began in June with calls to drop an extradition bill that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be sent to China to stand trial.

The protests widened to include calls for free elections to the post of the city's chief executive and an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality.

Both sides of Hong Kong’s political divide have blamed their opponents for the city’s ongoing unrest.

Hong Kong protests - In pictures

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Pro-government members of the Legislative Council condemned the acts of protesters who blocked streets, threw petrol bombs and assaulted police officers.

“You can say a lot of different opinions to the government, but violence is different,” said Starry Lee, chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong.

“If we can accept violence, our city will be ruined.”

Hardline protestors engaged in heated confrontation with police over the weekend, erecting barriers across roads after otherwise peaceful marches by thousands of others.

A protester throws an egg at police during clashes after an anti-government rally
Getty Images

The return to confrontation signalled their belief that the government won't respond to peaceful protest alone.

Wearing gas masks, the demonstrators threw bricks and petrol bombs as officers fired tear gas canisters at them.

An anti-extradition bill protester throws a Molotov cocktail as protesters clash with riot polic
REUTERS

On Sunday, the conflict saw six officers pull out their pistols and one fire a warning shot towards the sky.

Police said they had no choice after being surrounded by protesters with metal and wooden rods, but some residents questioned whether their action was necessary.

Pro-democracy legislators insisted on Monday that the city’s government and police needed to take responsibility for the clashes.

Protesters clash with police after an anti-government rally in Tsuen Wan district, Hong Kong
Getty Images

They said the government needed to recognise its culpability for sparking the protests with its extradition legislation.

While the police should be held accountable for their “selective enforcement of the law targeting government opponents”, they added.

Kwok Ka-ki, a member of the Civic Party, blamed Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam for the escalation.

He called her creation of a platform for dialogue a delaying tactic rather than an attempt to resolve the conflict.

“She is the one who should shoulder all the responsibility, and now she is trying to get away from all the responsibility and shifting the focus to the so-called platform,” Mr Kwok said.

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