The streets of Hong Kong descended into chaos Wednesday as protests against the government’s proposed extradition law continued into the fourth day.
Police commissioner Stephen Lo Wai-chung said officers used batons, pepper spray, beanbag rounds, rubber bullets, water hoses and tear gas against the demonstrators.
READ MORE: Hong Kong extradition bill — what is it and why are people protesting?
Tens of thousands of protesters gathered outside the city’s legislature — most of them peaceful — ahead of a scheduled debate about the bill, which would allow suspects to be extradited to China for the first time in Hong Kong’s history.
The debate was cancelled due to the protests. Protesters stayed in the area, saying they were worried the debate would start as soon as the streets were clear.
“We won’t leave till they scrap the law,” one young man wearing a black mask and gloves told Reuters.
“Carrie Lam (chief executive of Hong Kong) has underestimated us. We won’t let her get away with this.”
Later in the day, pockets of the protest charged police with umbrellas; others reportedly threw rocks at police. At least 10 people were injured in the chaos.
Witnesses say police shot protesters in the face with rubber bullets.
Police say the area has been cleared, but media reports say thousands of people are still on the surrounding roads.
In a brief televised address, Hong Kong’s leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, “strongly condemned” the violence and urged the city to return to normal as soon as possible.
WATCH: Protesters block traffic in Hong Kong financial hub as protests against extradition law continue
Lam Cheuk-ting, an opposition Democratic Party lawmaker, criticized the government’s move to fast-track the “evil law.”
Cheuk-ting was pepper sprayed in the melee Wednesday.
—With files from Reuters
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