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Under Hong Kong’s Streets, the Subway Becomes a Battleground for Protesters and Police

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09.12.2019 at 04:26pm

Under Hong Kong’s Streets, the Subway Becomes a Battleground for Protesters and Police by Shibani Mahtani and Tiffany Liang – Washington Post

This city’s subway system — spotless, efficient, cheap to ride — has been a source of civic pride since it began operating four decades ago, and it is often held up as a benchmark for public transportation everywhere.

When unrest began to grip Hong Kong early this summer, the Mass Transit Railway took on a different role. It carried protesters to demonstration venues, allowing them to leave the scene or shuttle between rallies in minutes. The spectacle of strangers clapping and cheering aboard trains and leading each other in chants replaced the usual sight of commuters hypnotized by their cellphones.

But as police crack down harder on dissent, station ticket halls and platforms are becoming battlegrounds, strewn with debris, tear gas and blood as officers clash violently with demonstrators…

Read on.

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