HONG KONG — Hong Kong police fired water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters, after alleged petrol bombs and rocks were thrown at government buildings on Sunday. <br /><br />According to the Guardian, tens of thousands of demonstrators defied a police ban and marched, calling for greater democracy in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. <br /><br />The Guardian reports that hundreds of protesters splintered off from the march and surrounded the Chinese People's Army base in the Admiralty district. <br /><br />Reuters reports that some protesters threw bricks and molotov cocktails at police and took down. They also set fire to a red banner proclaiming the 70th anniversary on Oct. 1 of the founding of the People's Republic of China. <br />According to the Guardian, this prompted riot police to fire multiple rounds of tear gas as well as a water cannon the covered demonstrators in blue dye, to help identify protesters in order to be arrested later. <br />According to Reuters, the water cannon truck later caught fire after being hit by a petrol bomb. <br />Reuters reports that protesters are upset about what they see as increasing interference from Beijing into the city's affairs. <br />The spark for the protests was a planned extradition bill, which has now been scrapped, that would have allowed for people to be sent to China for trial. <br />According to Reuters, the protests have since broadened into calls for universal suffrage. <br />According to the Guardian, Sunday's clashes between police and protesters marks the 15th consecutive weekend of mass protests in Hong Kong.
