Protesters returning from a pro-democracy march in the city center, as well as journalists and bystanders, were battered with sticks, umbrellas and what appeared to be metal rods. Viral videos showed people being beaten as they scrambled up escalators to escape; others were chased onto an idle train, cornered and assaulted. One young man was seen pleading for peace before an attacker lunged toward him and punched him in the face. By the end of the rampage — which lasted roughly two hours in two waves of violence — 45 people were hospitalized, one in critical condition, according to the city’s Hospital Authority. Throughout much of the ordeal, police were nowhere to be seen.
