Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Hong Kong Poly U siege a ‘humanitarian crisis’

Scarce supplies, police waiting, but some protesters vow no surrender even if they lose their lives

Several hundred students and protesters have been left with limited food and medical resources in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), which has been surrounded by police from Sunday evening.

People in PolyU, including teachers, students, medial staff, social workers and journalists, are suffering from a “humanitarian crisis,” Anson Chan Fang On-shan, former Chief Secretary, said.

Chan urged Chief Executive Carrie Lam to order the police to stop using lethal weapons against the people inside the campus and to provide the injured with medical services.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Tsim Sha Tsui on Monday to try to rescue the students who were surrounded by police in PolyU.

Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, a retired Hong Kong Roman Catholic cardinal, said in a video that humanitarianism must be respected even in wartime. He urged the government to offer medical services to those staying on the campus – or at least not to stop medical staff from entering PolyU.

In a 4pm media briefing, police said they would let the injured people in PolyU go to hospitals and would follow up those people’s cases later. They said they had allowed the Hong Kong Red Cross to enter the campus at about 2pm.

Police also said they would wait for the people in the university to surrender, instead of using force to arrest people in the campus. They said police would be in danger if they were attacked by “rioters” with weapons inside the university.

Police added that all people who walked out from the surrounded campus would face rioting charges.

Netizens also called for humanitarian aid to be provided, including food and water, to those inside the campus.



From noon, several hundred people started to throw bamboo sticks and debris on Nathan Road. Police arrived around 12:40pm and cleared the road for several police cars to pass through.

After they left, protesters re-occupied Nathan Road, demanding the release of the students and protesters from the Polytechnic University.

At around 1:30pm, more people arrived and had a standoff against the riot police on Chatham Road South.

Police fired many rounds of tear gas canisters and pepper balls during the clashes. Protesters resisted by throwing bricks and glass bottles. Police arrested about 10 people in the district between 1pm and 3pm.


Sunday

On Sunday, thousands of protesters occupied the two footbridges connecting the Hung Hom MTR station and the Polytechnic University. At 5:30pm, several armored vehicles and a water cannon truck were deployed while protesters threw petrol bombs.




At around 7pm Sunday, protesters burned debris on one bridge and retreated into the university. People on another footbridge also retreated in the evening. However, police surrounded the campus and patrolled at all its exits.

The police announced that the university had become a crime site. Only journalists with media passes could leave while all others were to be arrested.

At 9pm, police said they would allow people to leave the campus in one exit before they escalated their actions. About 50 people walked out from the University but they were arrested by the police immediately.

Dozens of first aid providers and local residents were arrested on the streets in Tsim Sha Tsui. Reporters were forced by the police to stop recording.

Thousands of Hong Kong people had tried to get close to PolyU but were shot with tear gas canisters and pepper balls.

A person who stayed overnight on the campus told Asia Times that there were several hundred protesters inside. He said many of them felt depressed as there were only limited amounts of food and medical resources on the campus.

Over a one day period, the number of arrested people in Hung Hom district reached nearly 600.

At 5:30am Monday, police entered the campus and arrested some people, including some medical staff. They later denied that they had entered the university.

Shortly after the operation, Teng Jin-guang, vice chancellor of PolyU, in a video urged people inside the campus to peacefully walk out and surrender.

Owan Li, a student representative on PolyU‘s university council, criticized Teng for doing nothing to rescue the people in the campus. He said at least three people had been shot in their eyes with rubber bullets and bean bag rounds while about 40 people felt unwell after being shot with water cannon.

Derek Liu Kin-kwan, President of the Student Union of PolyU, urged teachers and alumni to help rescue the 500-600 people who were trapped inside the campus. He said about 60-70% of these people were PolyU students.

Some protesters said in their videos that they had prepared to sacrifice their lives if police charged into the campus.

Standoffs continued on the streets in Tsim Sha Tsui, Jordan and Hung Hom as of Monday afternoon.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×