Hong Kong police disperse protesters outside university campus (VIDEO)

Riot police have scattered protesters in Hong Kong after a standoff at the Polytechnic University that lasted several days.

The fights near the entrance resembled a hellish war zone, as protesters set barricades ablaze in hope of fending off the riot officers. They also managed to set several armored cars on fire.

As violence escalated, police allowed some 40 protesters, injured in the unrest, to leave the building. While they may still face charges, a police source told the South China Morning Post that those who surrender without offering any resistance, might expect milder punishments as opposed to those who refuse to come out voluntarily.

Hundreds of protesters erected barricades outside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and camped inside. Police had been trying to get the protesters to leave the building, their previous attempts to storm the campus led to fierce clashes.

Large crowds of protesters, meanwhile, gathered on nearbyroadways, shouting “Save PolyU!”

Several groups of demonstrators had earlier tried to break through the cordons and escape from the campus that has been effectively besieged by police since last week. Most of them were stopped, however, and more than 400 people were detained.

© Ye Aung Thu / AFP

There have been reports that the protesters barricaded inside might have seized highly volatile explosives from the lab, with police spokesman Kwok Ka Chuen referring to the university as  “a powder keg where danger is far beyond what we can estimate” in a statement on Monday.

Photos of the streets covered with paving bricks have been circulated on social media. The bricks were dug out by protesters and used in barricades as well as weapons against police. The violent radicals also hurled petrol bombs at the officers who responded with tear gas.

The fights near the entrance resembled a hellish warzone as protesters set barricades ablaze in hope of fending off the riot officers. They also managed to set several armored riot cars on fire.

Sporadic clashes also erupted on Monday in Tsim Sha Tsui and other areas of the Kowloon district, where PolyU is located. The rioters reportedly showered police with rocks, and tear gas was also deployed.

Sporadic clashes also erupted during the day in Tsim Sha Tsui and other areas of the Kowloon district, where PolyU is located. The rioters showered police with rocks, and tear gas was also deployed.

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