Hong Kong police surround university as violent standoff with students continues

During the 24-hour siege of Polytechnic University, protesters have used a range of potentially lethal weaponry to hold off riot police.

The demonstrators have set up production lines of petrol bombs filled with a napalm-like substance, which they've then throw at police lines or at barricades to set them on fire.

Dramatic images from Sunday night showed enormous blazes started from huge numbers of petrol bombs being thrown at once.

Protesters also used a variety of bows and arrows, which were being fired from the balconies of Polytechnic University. One struck a police officer in the leg on Sunday, leading to his hospitalization.

Most dramatically, there have been makeshift catapults built out of bamboo and elastic, which protesters have used to slingshot objects at police lines.

At the fortified campus, CNN saw how protesters would first use bricks in the catapults to test their range, then switching to petrol bombs when they were hitting their targets.

Spotters on the roof also provided information to held the crews on the ground.

Last week's violent confrontations between police and protesters were met with condemnation from the international community.

US Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee tweeted Sunday night that the actions of police officers at the Polytechnic University were "disturbing."

"The Chinese and Hong Kong government need to deescalate. We’ve had enough bloodshed," she wrote.

Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Jim Risch of Idaho, and Rick Scott of Florida have also expressed concern online about the violence and criticism toward the city government.

It's not just American politicians -- Sen. Penny Wong of South Australia also posted about the protests on Friday, urging the city authorities to "engage in a genuine dialogue with the public that addresses widespread concerns, including police conduct, and builds trust between all parties."

Pro-democracy lawmaker Charles Mok, who was among those who filed a legal case against the Hong Kong government's mask ban which resulted in it being ruled unconstitutional today, said he felt vindicated by the decision.

"The judgment shows that the government clearly has overstepped the limit in its invocation of the emergency regulations ordinance to set up this anti-mask law, which is ruled to be unconstitutional and incompatible with the Basic Law," Mok told CNN.

"Once again it demonstrates the excessive abuse of administrative power of the government, to have pushed an unconstitutional law, circumventing the normal legislative process, only to be ruled unconstitutional by the court."

Mok added that the ruling "shows that the judiciary in Hong Kong is still independent and fair."

"However, one must worry that Beijing may clamp down further on our courts as it would see the judgment as an example of 'non-cooperation' with the administration," he said.

After months of it feeling like the Hong Kong protests were almost settling into if not a lull, then at least some kind of routine, the last week has been nothing but escalation.

Only a week ago, a Hong Kong university student was shot by a police officer; later in the same day a man was set on fire following a dispute with protesters. A 70-year-old man was struck on the head with a brick and later died. Protesters fortified multiple campuses and police launched intense clearance operations.

This week shows no signs of slowing down. Today has already seen dramatic clashes at Polytechnic University, where a siege of the campus is still ongoing and police are cracking down on all those who leave, even as protests spring up elsewhere across the city in an attempt to relieve the pressure.

Throughout clashes Sunday night into Monday morning, protesters used petrol bombs and flaming arrows, as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon.

Both sides seem to be preparing for greater violence, with protesters making Molotov cocktails filled with a napalm-like substance and even apparently setting explosive booby traps on the PolyU campus. Meanwhile police have deployed snipers and officers could be seen patrolling with assault rifles after the force said it may use live rounds if the dispute continues.

It seems inevitable that images coming out of PolyU will further exacerbate anger and fuel more protests, even as the last major misstep by the government -- a ban on the wearing of masks using a colonial era law -- was ruled unconstitutional by a court this morning.

After almost six months of unrest, everything seems to be speeding up, and we may be on the verge of a turning point. The protests have not been bloodless, but those deaths which have occurred did so on the edges of the unrest -- the last week seems to indicate that we may be getting towards the point where fatalities become routine.

Black-uniformed riot police have been seen in Jordan, where a clearance operation is ongoing, carrying what appear to be assault rifles.

The weapons, which did not have the usual orange markings that designate less-than-lethal rounds, appeared to be M4 carbines with .556 rounds. It was unclear whether the weapon was loaded with live ammunition, but police said in a statement last night that they were prepared to use live rounds if the disruption continued.

The Hong Kong Education Bureau just announced that classes for all schools will be canceled again tomorrow due to the weeklong unrest.

A statement from the bureau said the decision was made because of "unstable factors" and transit disruptions.

The cancellations include all education levels. The bureau said most classes are expected to resume on Wednesday, while some schools for students with disabilities will remain closed until Sunday.

This is the fourth consecutive school day that classes have been cancelled -- the bureau first closed all schools last Thursday after safety complaints from parents.

About 20 minutes ago, police and protesters clashed outside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, after protesters who had been barricaded inside attempted to leave.

Scenes from the ground show protesters with bloodied faces after the clashes. Some were tackled to the ground, and held down by numerous riot police officers.

The clash erupted suddenly, and was over just as quickly, in a matter of minutes. Earlier, the street had been full of police and protesters dressed in black, trying desperately to run away and tussling on the ground. Now, the area is empty, with some protesters having fled and many arrested.

The Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) has accused police of trying to obstruct press coverage of the Polytechnic University siege.

In a strongly worded statement, the club said police had barred journalists from entering the fortified campus, and searched others or demanded they provide press identification.

In one incident, the FCC alleged three student journalists who attempted to leave the Polytechnic University campus were told to stay where they were or risk being fired upon.

"We again call for an independent investigation into police violence against journalists and any interference with the media’s right under Hong Kong law to cover the unrest," the statement said.

A source at Hong Kong’s Polytechnic University has revealed how protesters barricaded inside the campus have made a napalm-like substance to attack police lines.

According to the source, the manufacturing of the substance was carried out in an organized manner, with some protesters focusing on mixing household substances, while others focused on mixing the napalm like substance with petrol in glass bottles.

Hundreds of glass bottles filled with the substance have been strategically positioned across campus, ready to be used should police finally enter inside, the source claimed.

On Sunday, protesters used slingshots to hurl the substance towards police lines. In one incident, an armored police vehicle caught fire when protesters launched a barrage of bottles filled with the substance towards advancing police lines, said the source.

The latest escalation in violence between protesters and police has pushed protesters to experiment with newer and more deadly makeshift weaponry, including bows and flaming arrows and catapults.