Hong Kong democracy rally ends with tear gas, hurled bricks

HONG KONG — A huge pro-democracy rally Saturday in downtown Hong Kong ended early after violence erupted, with police firing tear gas and a water cannon after protesters threw bricks and Molotov cocktails at government buildings.

Police said “radical protesters” lobbed gasoline bombs and damaged property outside the government offices, and aimed laser beams at a helicopter, posing “a serious threat to the safety of everyone” in the area.

The violence was a familiar scene that has been repeated since protests for democratic reforms started in early June in the semiautonomous Chinese territory. It also came three days before a major march on Oct. 1 when China celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Communist Party taking power, sparking fears of bloody clashes that could embarrass Beijing.

Organizers said as many as 300,000 people attended Saturday’s rally. The demonstration was called to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2014 Umbrella Movement, in which protesters occupied key thoroughfares in the downtown area for 79 days to demand direct elections for the city’s leaders but failed to win any government concessions.

More than 1,000 protesters streamed onto a main road, with some targeting government buildings that were barricaded. Police initially fired pepper spray after some ralliers threw bricks. Police later used a water cannon truck.

“We think we will lose because their force is so strong,” said one demonstrator, 22-year-old Sang Chan. “But if we don’t do anything now, we’ll have no other chance.”

Protesters unfurled a large banner that read “We are back” on a footbridge to the government office. A staircase leading to the bridge was turned into a gallery of protest art, with posters stuck on every available surface.

Some protesters...