46 hurt as rod-wielding mob storms HK station

 Hong Kong, July 22 

At least 46 persons have been injured in an unprecedented violence at a Hong Kong railway station as a rampaging mob armed with metal rods assaulted pro-democracy protesters as well as passengers indiscriminately.

No police officer was in sight as dozens of men, dressed in white shirts and suspected to be triad gangsters, stormed into Yuen Long MTR station late on Sunday night by forcing open closed entrances and attacked a group of pro-democracy protesters who were returning from a rally.

The masked men hurled objects at the protesters, dressed in black, and travellers alike and also assaulted members of the public with wooden rods and metal stick.

Footage posted on social media of the midnight violence showed the men violently attacking anyone dressed in a black T-shirt on platforms and inside train carriages. Black is the colour of choice for demonstrators engaged in the pro-democracy protests. — IANS