When a University Turned Into a Battlefront
Picture this – a campus that usually buzzes with classes and late-night study sessions suddenly transforms into a rough‑around‑the‑edges war zone. For three days last week, the sprawling Polytechnic University (PolyU) in Hong Kong became the front line of an escalating protest saga that’s turned the city’s academic halls into makeshift fortresses.
DIY Weaponry and the Great Catapult Debate
Inside the heart of the university, the scene was a mix of shattered glass, spray‑painted slogans, and a roll‑call of practically every “battle gear” one could conjure from a dorm build‑out:
- Shackled gas masks paired with black‑clad outfits.
- Metal poles rammed into batons, proving academia can’t compete with a good old fashioned club.
- A makeshift catapult, complete with rocks – in other words, the university’s version of “loud and proud.”
- Crates of petrol bombs, arrows wrapped in cloth, and a questionable forest of fire‑ready items.
It was almost a DIY craft fair on a global stage – just less “Art 101” and more “How do we fight with dignity?”
Why It All Got Hot—Literally
On Saturday, November 16, the showdown exploded. Police forces stormed in, taking the campus like a strategic counter‑insurgency, while the students retaliated by hurling rocks and petrol bombs. Within minutes, parts of the campus were ablaze, and the fiery spectacle only intensified the heat in the streets.
The Bigger Picture: 5‑Month Protest & Rising Fear
This is the latest chapter in a long‑standing campaign that began five months ago and calls for stricter democratic freedom amid growing anxiety about Beijing’s looming influence. What started as peaceful sit‑ins has suddenly roared into a more militant chapter, with universities becoming emblematic strongholds of resistance.
Police Power Plays
State of the art reinforced, riot police showed up in full gear: batons, tear gas, rubber bullets, and a firm resolve. The stark divide was clear – barricades of those who wanted challenge, and a chain of frustrated boots ready to knock down any hope of an easy victory.
The Aftermath—Almost All Universities Cleared, PolyU Still Holdout
By weekend, most campuses were emptied of protestors, but PolyU remained a hot spot. The siege stretched on until Tuesday, with around 100 protestors holed up within the campus perimeter while police maintained a tight loop. The battle not only reignited the city’s campus streets but carved a new chapter of tension for Hong Kong’s future.
Unfiltered On‑site Reporting by Reuters
Over the past week, reporters from Reuters captured raw moments of violence across four universities, including PolyU, underlining the radical shift in protest tactics. These scenes, full of bravery, grit, and a good dose of self‑made obstructions, provide an unfiltered snapshot of a protest movement on the brink of a major pivot.
“Fire Magicians” and Catapults: The New Face of Resistance
What’s left? The story now evolves into a headline highlight: “Fire Magicians & Catapults.” The use of flames and ingenuity to fight oppression becomes a new symbol of the rebellious youth in the city.
Protesters clash with police outside Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Nov 17, 2019. PHOTO: Reuters
Towards the end of last week, as many as a thousand students occupied the PolyU campus. But the numbers dwindled over the next two days, as protesters feared police would lay siege to the campus.
The preparations, though, did not abate. In the cafeteria, tables were laden with supplies – mountains of bottled water, energy drinks, chocolate, torches, toothbrushes and power banks.
Outside, a team produced petrol bombs, while the university’s archery team gave impromptu lessons on how to draw a bow.
Teams of “fire magicians”, tasked with lobbing petrol bombs at police on the front lines, practised by throwing empty bottles into the university’s drained swimming pool.
The campus is located in a strategic spot next to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, a major artery linking the Kowloon peninsula to Hong Kong island that had been barricaded by protesters. One aim of the PolyU occupation was keeping the tunnel shut, protesters said.
Demonstrators who streamed into the university last week encountered what had become a small on-campus village.
Hot food was served in the cafeteria, where signs were posted asking media not to take photographs so that weary young men and women could shed their masks to eat and chat. Nearby, others napped on yoga mats spread across a basketball court.
Among the protesters, there was also a growing sense of foreboding about the looming battle with police.
“Once you come out, you know that anything can happen, especially when you are on the front line, even real bullets,” said Chen, a 21-year-old student and one of the “fire magicians”.
Preparing for the worst, Chen, who only provided his surname, said he had recently penned a will.
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The campus occupations began on Nov 11 after police shot an anti-government protester during a demonstration.
Widespread street protests in Hong Kong escalated in June after an eruption of public anger over perceived encroachments on Hong Kong’s autonomy by the Chinese government.
The trigger was a Bill introduced by Hong Kong’s government that would have allowed the extradition of suspects to the mainland for trial.
The Bill has since been withdrawn, but anger has only grown over the government’s perceived indifference to the demands of the protesters, which include an independent investigation into alleged police brutality and an amnesty for arrested protesters.
Hong Kong’s leader, Mrs Carrie Lam, has said she would not be swayed by violence to yield to the demands of protesters.
On Tuesday, she said she hoped the university stand-off would end soon, and that she was shocked that campuses had transformed into “weapons factories”.
In response to questions from Reuters, Mrs Lam’s office said: “The Chief Executive has made it clear on various occasions that violence is not a solution to any problem.”
The Hong Kong Police Force did not respond to questions from Reuters.
CHANGED TACTICS
Protesters climb a stairway filled with a makeshift barricade of chairs and other debris at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Nov 18, 2019. PHOTO: Reuters
Fears that police were preparing to enter universities and arrest students involved in protests sparked an online appeal to protect campuses, attracting an influx of young protesters.
Once on campus, they began preparing weapons and fire bombs, and blocking key adjacent roads that prevented people from getting to work, in an effort to engineer a general strike.
And they dug in.
That marked a significant tactical shift for the protesters, whose motto has been “be like water”, a philosophy about being flexible that has underpinned the leaderless wildcat protests.
The protesters had utilised Hong Kong’s topography to their advantage, gathering on busy urban streets with plenty of escape routes, making it difficult for the police to arrest more than a few at a time.
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The PolyU occupiers set up barricades and walls of brick and cement of their own making.
But hunkering down meant they would be trapped on campus, with police standing by ready to make arrests on charges carrying heavy prison sentences: rioting, trespassing and theft of public property.
Police began their siege of PolyU last Saturday. By Tuesday, they said that they had “arrested and registered” about 1,100 people in and around the university.
Some people tried slipping out past the police cordons in dramatic fashion: through the sewers, or abseiling down a rope hanging from a bridge.
But a hard core of about 100 remained, according to Reuters estimates.
AN APPETITE FOR VIOLENCE
After‑Party Cleanup: How a Hong Kong Student Squashed the Turmoil
On November 16, 2019, a college rebel took it upon herself to tidy up the mess left behind by a campus takeover at the Polytechnic University. Here’s the story of that anti‑government activist and the epic showdown that followed.
New Police Chief Speaks Up
Police Commissioner Chris Tang stepped into the spotlight on Tuesday, urging everyone in Hong Kong to pull together and end the chaos. “Violence doesn’t solve anything,” he said, but kept his tone firm, demanding that supporters march to bring the protests to a halt.
Students — The Heartbeat of the Movement
Frustrated Voices from Campus
- Yip – a 21‑year‑old polytechnic student – stared through a pile of broken bricks and pointed out that “We aren’t destroying anything for nothing.”
- Chen , known by the moniker “fire magician,” claimed his actions were a “policing the police” response to brutality on the streets.
- Lee , a nursing student, explained that while she’d strived for peaceful protests against the extradition bill, police tactics forced her to abandon her mask and sip a juice box mid‑demonstration.
Despite mixed emotions, the common thread was clear: the tactics seemed justified when police were seen as the real troublemakers.
From Umbrella to Petrol Bombs – The Escalation
After the 2014 “Umbrella Protest,” the campus occupation felt like a renewed fight for freedom. Yet the repeated loops of “No violence” became something the protestors were having to push through. The main response was a penny‑fractioned dose of street‑safety: petrol bombs, metal‑tipped arrows, and a total media‑free, underground war.
The Examination of a University Siege
First, the Chinese University of Hong Kong launched a barricade. “We stuck bricks and branches to block a nearby highway,” a news capture read. The takeover got a tear‑gas kick‑start from the police, followed by a flurry of petrol‑bomb smashes that set a bridge alight.
Protests spread quickly. The Polytechnic University became an intensifying station of defiance, until the police finally confronted the student rebels on the campus terrace. The result was a minor “water‑cannon tsunami” soaked the student with an itchy, blue dye that included an irritant. Soulless strands of pet-lights twinned with the verve of now‑bathing protesters.
- Huge police presence, with tear gas and water cannons rife in the campus air.
- About 100 protestors dashed onto the streets as majors began firing petrol bombs.
- One police officer head‑banging from a blow by an arrow had a quick trip to the hospital.
Battles were no longer about peaceful gatherings; they became a fearless surge that involved live ammunition threats.
In the End, a Still‑Sticking Group
As of Tuesday, around 100 protestors remained on campus. Among them was a man who said “We’re not leaving yet.” He expressed concern about inmates who were beaten, and that staying was paramount. “Those who are staying here, we’ve gotta hold out,” was his final call, a razor‑sharp conclusion that echoed the reporters who enjoyed listening to these bold protesters.
With an absence of halting directives, the situation remains uncertain. Yet the marque of the student heroes, merging negativity, emotion, and gallantry, reinforces the face of the city that are ready to act that threatens to spark future gangs based on “frankly independent weapons.”
