Hong Kong police are spraying protesters with blue-dye water cannons to mark them for arrest later

Authored by insider.com and submitted by leonerdo_

Protesters clashed with police in Hong Kong on Saturday as thousands rallied in spite of a police ban on demonstrating.

Police put blue dye in water cannons, intended to stain protesters and mark them out for arrest later.

The Hong Kong protests, sparked by a proposed extradition bill from mainland China, have been going on for thirteen weeks.

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As flashpoints erupt between protesters and police in Hong Kong, water cannons filled with blue dye are being turned on the protesters.

Hong Kong citizens were out en masse protesting for the thirteenth week in a row on Saturday, despite a police ban on rallying. The protests were sparked in June by a proposed extradition bill by mainland China.

There were flashpoints between the police and protesters on Saturday, with the police deploying tear gas and water cannons, while protesters threw bricks and molotov cocktails, setting fire to barricades.

Police officers walk past a burning molotov cocktail. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Police put blue dye in the water cannons directed at protesters, coating the road in a blue wash. The dye is intended to stain protesters, marking them out for later arrest.

Protesters are engulfed in a spray of blue dye. PHILIP FONG/AFP/Getty Images

Several prominent activists were arrested on Friday ahead of Saturday's protests, although two were subsequently released on bail. One of the arrested activists, Agnes Chow, shared pictures of the blue jets of water.

Last week Hong Kong police said it had arrested 86 protesters, including a 12-year-old child.

A report emerged earlier this week that Beijing had refused to scrap the extradition bill which sparked the protests thirteen weeks ago.

Azygousvein on August 31st, 2019 at 17:13 UTC »

This isn't the first time a government has done this. In Iraq, Saddam Hussein had employed undercover agents to join protests and shake a perforated water bottle with red dye into crowds. Later on, those with red dye would get kidnapped and killed.

-cupcake on August 31st, 2019 at 17:02 UTC »

Last week Hong Kong police said it had arrested 86 protesters, including a 12-year-old child.

Wait.... what?

RDPCG on August 31st, 2019 at 16:21 UTC »

A water cannon with a spray that’s three feet wide in diameter. I’m sure no innocent bystanders will accidentally get sprayed or anything...