John Lee, Hong Kong’s secretary for security, warned the city of “elements of terror” as riot police prepared for more pro-democracy protests in the city.
“The extent of violence, danger and destruction have reached very serious conditions,” Lee said according to the New York Times. “Radical people have escalated their violent and illegal acts, showing elements of terror.”
Last month, a spokesperson for the Chinese office responsible for overseeing policy towards Hong Kong characterized protests as showing “signs of terrorism.”
“Hong Kong’s radical demonstrators have repeatedly attacked police officers with extremely dangerous means,” the spokesperson said. “These have already constituted serious violent crimes and have begun to show signs of terrorism.”
At the time, Hong Kong authorities rejected the assertion that protesters were demonstrating elements of terrorism.
“We are not at that stage yet,” Steve Li Kwai-wah, a senior police superintendent in Hong Kong, said.
Last week, Hong Kong police arrested pro-democracy leaders claiming they were part of an unlawful assembly ahead of the 13th consecutive weekend of protests.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, speaking in English, said she would have quit if given the choice in audio published Monday by Reuters.
“If I have a choice the first thing is to quit, having made a deep apology,” she said. Lam said, as she appeared to fight back tears, that her role in allowing the situation in Hong Kong to escalate was “unforgivable.”
