Protesters used clubs and projectiles to attack police on the streets of Hong Kong, a newly posted video shows, contradicting the western narrative which had painted the anti-China demonstrators as noble victims.

Footage shows a group of armed protesters –many equipped with helmets and gas masks– rushing at riot police with baseball bats, sticks, rocks, metal rods and other crude weapons.

Hong Kong protesters vs Hong Kong police pic.twitter.com/LGEhRW9E58 — Carl Zha (@CarlZha) August 25, 2019

Even as the outnumbered police officers retreat, the mob stays in pursuit, hurling rocks and swinging their clubs.

The latest alarming video elicited a mixed response from Twitter users. Some argued that the protesters were acting out of self-defense, but others noted that the video clearly shows that some Hong Kong demonstrators have turned violent.

The latest report by Hong Kong police stated that 36 people were arrested during Sunday’s protests for various violent acts. The semi-autonomous metropolitan region has been rocked by twelve weeks of unrest, sparked by protests against an extradition bill that would have allowed Hong Kong authorities to detain and extradite people to mainland China. The bill has since been suspended, but protests have grown into a broader revolt against Chinese sovereignty over the territory.

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