Siege of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University

At around 10:00 am, some citizens attempted to clear the roadblocks between Austin Road and Chatham Road South, near Rosary Church. During their attempt to remove the obstacles in the road, protesters blocked their actions and prevented them from dismantling the roadblocks. During the confrontation, bricks were thrown towards the people clearing the obstacles. Riot police arrived at around 11:00 and confronted the protesters, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at them. The protesters responded by throwing bricks and petrol bombs. The situation deteriorated by the afternoon, where water cannons and armored cars were used to breach the protesters' line. Blue-dyed water fired from the water cannons was continuously used, with the protesters fighting back with bricks and petrol bombs.[16][17]

Around 9:00 pm, police publicly announced that anyone arrested inside Polytechnic University would face the charge of rioting, as would anyone who attempted to go in or help people inside. The police added that anyone inside the campus could peacefully leave via the exit at Y-core. However, those attempting to leave via the designated exit were instead arrested. Among the people arrested were university staff, reporters, social workers, volunteer first-aid personnel, doctors and nurses.[18][19] Police claimed that protesters were disguising themselves as medical workers. Dr Arisina Ma, president of Hong Kong Public Doctors’ Association, criticised the police for arresting and detaining them for 24 hours and then forcing them to post bail instead of simply checking their professional identification and releasing them.[20] Surgeon Darren Mann, who had witnessed medics being hogtied and who had telephoned both the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières asking them to intervene, criticised the police for treating medical personnel like terrorists, stating: "The arrest of [active medical] personnel is almost unheard of in civilised countries and is incompatible with the compact of humanitarianism".[21]

Polytechnic University authorities released a statement saying that protesters had damaged its laboratories and stolen dangerous chemicals.[22] Subsequently, safety concerns mounted as the Chinese University, Polytechnic University, and City University also reported to police that chemicals – several of which are toxic, corrosive, or flammable, and deadly – had been stolen from their laboratories.[23]

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  Confrontation between protesters and police in Cheong Wan Road near PolyU.
• 
  Police use a dyed water cannon to disperse protesters from the road.
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  Protesters threw Molotov cocktail towards police.
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  Protesters walking on the rooftop of the bridge connecting PolyU and nearby districts.
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  Fire in the Cross Harbour Tunnel bridge connecting MTR station and PolyU.

Auxiliary Bishop of Hong Kong Joseph Ha and a number of pro-democracy legislators requested to meet the HKPF commander, hoping that the crisis could be settled in a peaceful way, but HKPF declined. Afterwards, pro-democracy legislators held a press conference and declared there was a severe humanitarian crisis happening inside Polytechnic University and demanded Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam speak up and end the crisis immediately to avoid any serious consequences.[24]

At 9:00 am, an RTHK reporter preparing to relieve a colleague inside in accordance with procedures predetermined by the police went to the indicated place for swapping out. Riot police shouted at the journalist and ordered him to put his hands up while they checked his press ID and identity card. When the reporter claimed that he only wanted to go on duty, riot police refused to let him out and insisted that he had to leave by another route. He was escorted by the police as he was leaving. Other reporters of RTHK who passed the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and wanted to document the events unfolding at PolyU were likewise blocked and ordered to leave by the riot police. The police indicated that everyone inside PolyU would be charged with "participating in a riot".[25]

At 11:00 am, the police fired tear gas towards Queen Elizabeth Hospital which injured some protesters[26] and forced the hospital to suspend specialist services and to use plastic tape to seal its windows and doors.[27]

• 
  Police using a water cannon truck
• 
  Volunteer first-aid personnel and medics helping injured protesters
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  Other protesters heading to PolyU to "rescue" trapped protesters
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  Protesters trying to break police cordon in Tsim Sha Tsui to get near the campus
• 
  Police firing tear gas at protesters attempting to reach the cordon

Riot police trapped protesters inside the university as the standoff continued, with students desperate to escape from campus. Some fled by ziplining from one of the university's bridges,[28] or in some cases, through sewers. The protesters reportedly had 'no way to leave'.[29] The number of protesters trapped inside the building was disputed, with police putting their number at around 80–100[30] while protesters claimed the number was around 200.[29]

Throughout the following days, more protesters from PolyU surrendered to police.[31] The siege continued into 23 November, with around 50 protesters remaining.[32] The campus's hygiene quickly deteriorated, and the protesters inside reported being mentally and physically weak.[33]

Amid dwindling numbers of protesters in the university, the police entered on 28 November to look for stragglers and to clear the premises of hazardous materials. After a two-day search that failed to find any holdouts, the police lifted the cordon on 29 November.[34] The university remained closed until the campus was deemed safe, even as petrol bombs and other weapons continued to be found on campus.[35] More than 4,000 petrol bombs including about 600 tied to portable propane bottles were discovered. Over 1,100 people were arrested in and around PolyU over the course of the siege.[36][37]

On 15 May 2020, 14 people were formally charged with rioting, while another remained wanted by the police. All of these protesters were originally arrested during a police dispersal operation at the campus on 18 November 2019. In addition to the rioting charges, five of the group were charged with other offences, including possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.[38]

• 2019 November Shooting Incident in Sai Wai Ho
• Siege of the Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Media related to Siege of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University at Wikimedia Commons