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Police Clash with Protesters at Hong Kong Airport; Violent Protests Erupt at Hong Kong Airport. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired August 13, 2019 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:00:00] JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Commercial air traffic. Last hour riot police tried to move in with buses in tow. Police say the operation was not to clear the protesters but to get a man detained by protesters out and to a hospital. That's what the police say. Protesters pushed back, sometimes forcefully, blockading the airport entrances with luggage carts. The tension-filled scene, the latest escalation in what is now three months of a protest campaign. That protest campaign over mainland China trying to cut into Hong Kong's autonomy.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is in the middle of this now, joining us live from the airport.

Paula, give us an update.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, certainly what we saw a little earlier does tally with what the police are saying, that they did come in originally unarmed to try and secure the release of an individual who protesters claimed was an undercover police officer who had been masquerading as a protester. We don't know if that is right. But they had been keeping him from leaving for a number of hours. We had a member of CNN quite close to the front of that mob of dozens of protesters and saying that he was not well, didn't appear to be well. Maybe even unconscious at some point. So that appeared to be the first police operation to extract that man.

But then what we saw afterwards was really quite remarkable scenes. We saw a number of riot police coming into the entrance of Hong Kong International Airport. Now, bear in mind, this is at a time where flights are still landing here and just downstairs, on the ground floor, you have people coming through for a holiday, coming back home to Hong Kong, but they are still coming through. Whereas up here, there was panic and chaos when those riot police came to the entrance of the airport.

Now, there were a number of injuries it appears to have been from pepper spray. We don't know for sure because we were inside and not outside the airport. But that's certainly the sort of injuries that we would expect people having their eyes washed out.

Now, they have barricaded certain elements of these protesters to keep the police out of the airport. But as far as we can tell at this point, the police have left. KING: As far as you can tell the police have left.

Paula, help for a little context here. This is ten plus weeks now of these demonstrations initially against a mainland China effort to modify criminal justice laws, to allow extradition for people from Hong Kong into mainland China.

When you talk to the protesters there, this is clearly an escalation paralyzing commercial air traffic in one of the world's busiest airports. Do they see any potential for dialogue or do they believe this is their world from here on out? If they want to make their stand, they're going to have to continue these protests?

HANCOCKS: Well, John, it's really difficult to see where the off-ramp is with these protesters. At this point, this is, yes, of course, about the extradition bill, but it has blossomed and flourished into so much more. The wide ranging issues that these protesters have now.

And the reason, over the past two days, there have been so many thousands of protesters in Hong Kong International Airport shutting down operations at the eighth busiest airport here, is because of what they saw on Sunday. Every protester that I've spoken to say that they believe the police used excessive force and violence when they were trying to curtail protests over the weekend.

Now, the police have given a press conference. They say that's simply not the case. They were doing what they needed to, to keep the peace. We heard something very similar from Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong.

But what we are seeing from some of these protesters, and it is not a nice thing to see, is that they are trying to target who they believe are undercover police officers. Now, we have seen this once before, and that was a police operation to come and try and extract that man. There are speculation that they may have found somebody else they believe to be an undercover police operator who's masquerading as a protester behind me. And this is why this particular contingent of protesters are not leaving.

But for the most part, the peaceful protesters have gone, John. They have taken away all their posters. They have cleaned up after themselves and they have left. They didn't want any kind of confrontation. But there is a small element that does.

KING: Paula Hancocks live for us at the Hong Kong airport. We'll keep in touch with Paula as we watch this play out.

Let's check in now with CNN's Will Ripley. He joins us now live from New York.

Will, you have great experience covering these issues. To the point I was trying to make earlier with Paula, she says where is the off-ramp here.

We're watching this. We're watching these protesters. We've been watching protests like this for ten plus weeks now. A test of the protesters, Carrie Lam, the Hong Kong executive. But, really, Xi Jinping, the president of China, the question is, what are the stakes for President Xi and does he want de-escalation or does he want to prove he has the stronger hand here?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No doubt in Beijing Xi Jinxing is watching this with his inner circle very closely. And they have a tough decision to make because if they make the decision to intervene, they're not going to do it halfway. They have assembled military police in Shenzhen (ph), which is actually a pretty short drive from Hong Kong now that China has just opened this new, massive bridge between the mainland and Hong Kong.

[12:05:05] And people in Hong Kong were concerned when this bridge opened, at least some of them, precisely for the reason that China could move in its military resources if things were to ever get out of hand because, keep in mind, this isn't the first time that Hong Kong has been paralyzed by protests. Five years ago, during the umbrella movement, it was a summer of streets closed, nothing like this, of course, but I remember the massive, largely peaceful crowds and the shock that rippled through the city when police used tear gas on protesters for the first time.

But now we're seeing escalation. Tear gas every week. Rubber bullets every week. Protesters hurling bricks, hurling petrol bombs at the police. And, in many cases, the appearance is that the law enforcement in Hong Kong is overwhelmed. They just don't know what they're doing. If Hong Kong were to make a request to the mainland to intervene, which, of course, Beijing, which has its hand in the way that Hong Kong is run. Carrie Lam is a pro-Beijing lawmaker herself, the chief executive, so obviously Beijing would have a say in all of this. But if that were to happen, it would be an extraordinary, unprecedented moment and a very frightening moment for some in Hong Kong who feel that that could really be the beginning of the end of Hong Kong's freedom of expression.

But as this situation devolves, as the protesters become more violent, you have a large number of people inside Hong Kong who are ready to see this thing be done with. This is not the majority. The people who are acting like this, the people who are fighting as if their future and their lives are at stake, it's not the majority of people in Hong Kong. There is a silent majority in the city who are sitting at home wondering when this is going to end, wondering what's going to happen. And, frankly, there might be some, I haven't seen any public opinion polling, but there might be some who would even encourage at this stage China to step in.

But what does that look like? We've seen videos from Chinese state media of these large armed police vehicles assembling, as I mentioned, near the border with Hong Kong. Obviously when you have social media, you have dozens of television channels and all these cameras trained on this issue, Beijing has to be very careful because the optics could to look a lot like Tiananmen Square.

KING: The optics could look terrible. Tiananmen Square comparison does come up.

Will, stay with us as well.

I want to get back to the here and now.

CNN's Ivan Watson is there at the Hong Kong Airport. He joins us on the phone.

Ivan, you've arrived within the last few moments or so. Tell us what you're seeing.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): I'm standing (INAUDIBLE) counter at Japan Airlines in the departure terminal. There is a mob of hundreds of demonstrators, journalists. And I think one individual that some suspect of being an undercover police officer. And they've tried to get paramedics in to get this person out. Somebody who looked barely conscious. And it's just chaos basically of trying to get somebody out.

It's a very chaotic scene. There is not one leader of this predominantly youth protest movement that has paralyzed one of the world's busiest airports. Once a symbol of Hong Kong's efficiency and now completely out of control. Which -- it looks like the demonstrators almost fighting amongst themselves about what to do with it. And I see them kicking somebody on the floor of the airport.

It's -- it's very, very ugly, John. Very, very ugly.

KING: And, Ivan, to your point about maybe disagreements or lack of communication between and among the protesters, we're showing you live pictures now. I'm not sure if this is where Ivan is inside the airport, but you see tussling there. You see some elbowing. You see an American flag in the middle of all of that as well carried obviously as a symbol into these protests.

But, Ivan, to the -- to the point of -- I don't know what the right word is, you're there, chaos or disorder or dysfunction among the protesters. Explain how you see that playing out.

WATSON: Well, John, right now I can see somebody thrown on the ground and there are some protesters trying to protect this individual and others who were trying to hurt this individual. I can see bruises on his torso. And it's just chaos as they try to figure out what to do with this person. Some people wanting to help. I think it's a man.

Again, by the ticket sales counter of Japan Airline. And others wanting to hurt the individual. You mentioned the American flag. That's been popping up as well as the British flag. This is a former British colony, at some of these protests. And that plays into a narrative coming from Chinese state media, which has suggested that this is all fomented by western countries and paid for. And that's the narrative I've heard from some people here in Hong Kong.

[12:10:03] But many of the demonstrators I've spoken to are 18, 19, 20, 21 years old who have been out day after day, night after night, in the heat and humidity of the Hong Kong summer, who are clearly, in their minds, fighting for some kind of justice and future of their city. And it is a phenomenon that, at least in the airport, in this portion of the departures terminal, is spinning out of control.

John.

KING: As you say, Ivan, spinning out of control.

And we're watching the live pictures of this scene play out. We see demonstrators or they're -- do you see any organized police presence there or is this the demonstrators who may be disagreeing and fighting among themselves as this chaotic scene plays out?

WATSON: Absolutely no police presence that I can see in uniforms. There are two individuals on the ground prone right now with demonstrators around them. And I'd say that the black light (ph) demonstrators are in the hundreds, maybe thousands up here in this portion of the airport. And their numbers are smaller than what I saw at this time last night when the airport operations were brought to a halt.

The demonstrators have tried to present an image of being peaceful to outsiders, handing out drinks, handing out food. But what I'm seeing in front of me here, with one prone individual with people kicking him on the ground, is -- is a very, very ugly image.

On top of that, they have brought the airport to a halt and interrupted the movement and lives of thousands and thousands of people who have nothing to do with the political drama in Hong Kong except that this was a transport hub for them to move around the world and their lives have been -- have been put in limbo by this.

And this is a city divided right now, John. There are people who describe themselves as black, supporters of the protest movement, and blue, supporters of the authorities, and many, many families that you talk to here are completely split along political lines as this drama now goes into its third month.

KING: And to the third month part, you mentioned the two camps, if you will, the black and the blue, the black being the protesters, the blue being the more pro-authority. I asked this question of Paula Watson earlier -- Paula Hancock's, excuse me, and you're there, Ivan Watson, on the scene. Is there anybody -- you have this one -- you know, two systems, one country set up. Is there anyone there who has a viable proposal for some sort of a dialogue off-ramp?

WATSON: That's the problem here. The government has said it will not compromise with what it describes as violent criminals and people who conduct riots. Meanwhile, the opposition, this grassroots movement, predominantly a youth movement, doesn't have a visible leader to negotiate with. It's kind of a collective phenomenon on the ground of decision-making. And with no compromise in sight from the authorities, you have this morass that continues week after week.

KING: And, Ivan, you're on the phone with me so I can't tell where you are in this scrum that we're watching on the scene, but again, as you watch, you do now appear to have a circle of people protecting -- there's at least one prone person there. You say there may be two. Continue to describe what you're seeing. And you see a red -- I see a

red helmet there that I assume is medical personnel down on their knees?

WATSON: Yes. I'm standing about seven feet on a countertop from two helmeted first aid workers who are now administering first aid to a man who's conscious and laying on the ground.

There's another man on the ground surrounded by protesters, journalists and some first aid volunteers. And now he's no longer the target of violence. So some of the hysteria that had escalated has calmed down a little bit in this location.

I might add, nobody has threatened me. I was able to climb up here. People have helped me. There's it's very strange how the anger is targeted in this protest movement. There will be absolute rage against law enforcement, and I think many people here will suspect that these two individuals were undercover police. And I don't have any proof pro or con there. But once you're outside of that little moment of hysteria, people are walking around. There are stranded passengers here with their luggage just kind of like wondering what to do here.

[12:15:05] Again, this is the eighth busiest airport in the world brought to a complete stand still for the second night in a row. Imagine if this happened at Dulles Airport, JFK, LaGuardia, LAX, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Heathrow, that's what's happened here in Hong Kong for the second night in a row.

KING: Ivan Watson right in the middle of this dramatic scene for us.

We're going to take a quick break. But our correspondents on the scene, our analysts around the world, we'll continue to watch this.

Again, dramatic protests erupting at the Hong Kong Airport.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:20:11] KING: Welcome back.

And back now to the dramatic scene, you see it right there unfolding at the main airport in Hong Kong. Protesters taking control of that airport for the second straight day. Commercial air traffic canceled. Riot police showed up some time ago. There was some jostling between the police and demonstrators. There's also been some violence in the airport. We saw just moments ago medical personnel trying to attend to two men lying prone in one of those terminals. Right in the middle of it is CNN's Paula Hancocks.

Paula, as you've watched this drama unfold, what is the very latest?

HANCOCKS: Well, it's certainly a lot calmer, John, than it was just shortly ago. We do still have some kind of situation behind us, though. We understand from some of the protesters that they may have someone that they believe is an undercover policeman in their midst. Now, this is what we saw earlier. There had been -- someone of the

protesters claimed had been masquerading as one of them but was, in fact, an undercover policeman. They held on to him for a number of hours. It was really a trial by protesters barking questions at him, finding out who he was, his identity, and eventually the police then came in, unarmed, but managed to extract him from the area. He was taken out on a gurney by paramedics.

Now, certainly, this is not a good look for the protesters. There were many, I must say, around saying that he should be let go, but there was a small contingent that decided that he shouldn't be. Now, whether that's happening once again behind me, I don't know.

But what is important to point out is that this goes to the heart of the anger that protesters feel towards the police, towards the undercover police that they believe have been pretending to be protesters and have been reacting as such.

Now, there is some kind of reaction going on behind me as well. Unclear what that is at this point.

KING: OK, Paula, as you stand by, Ivan Watson, I believe, is right in the thick of this.

Ivan, what can you tell us?

WATSON (on camera): Well, Brad -- sorry, John, I'm sorry, it's a bit chaotic. There are two individuals that have been getting first aid. One of them is being taken away after there was a real scrum to try to -- where some people wanted to give this person, this individual, access to first aid. And I think he's being taken up on a gurney there up that pedestrian bridge there to the outside.

And I just can't stress enough how bizarre and surreal all of this is, John. So you have an injured individual. I definitely saw some of the protesters dressed in black kicking this man while he was on the ground and a real tussle amid the demonstrators whether or not to provide him first aid.

And all of this taking place in this incredible busy airport. Look at what's happened here. In addition to the demonstrators here, they have wallpapered this place with their kind of slogans, calling out their allegations of police brutality. And what they've succeeded in doing is bringing this entire airport to a halt for the second evening in a row.

And I've got to be honest, you know, these demonstrators say they're fighting for justice, they're fighting for a peaceful democratic future for their city, a former British colony. But the scenes we saw today, very ugly and will not help them in the eyes of many Hong Kongers who view them with extreme distrust.

John.

KING: And to that point, just the decision to paralyze such a major economic piece of Hong Kong, this busy airport, was an escalation out of frustration by the protesters who did not believe their demands were being listened to. Now you make a very valid point that they could be at a tipping point here of their own support in the community. Patience in the community. Is that fair?

WATSON: Look, everybody you talk to in this city is either split or there are some people in the middle. And as I mentioned to you before, those who support the protest movement describe themselves as black. And that's the kind of color of the protesters that they've chosen two months ago. And then those who support the authorities and the city government and by extension Beijing describe themselves as blue.

And I guarantee you, 90 percent of the protesters here you talk to will tell you that somebody in their family fiercely opposes what they're doing right now and sides with the authorities.

So this is not just a city that's divided, these are families, and homes and apartments that are divided by the passions of this protest movement and by what some describe as this wholly inadequate response of the unelected city government.

John.

[12:25:07] KING: And help me just with the immediate scene behind you, which appears, now that these two injured individuals have been taken out, to be calmer. Is that a fair statement?

WATSON: Yes, I think that's reduced some of the tension.

We're going to walk this way, Brad, because there was one individual on the ground again by the Japanese Airlines sales counter, if you can believe it, who was holed up there. So we'll see if that individual is still here.

What struck me last night -- and, yes, the tensions have reduced some. And clearly reporters like myself and the many journalists here and many passengers don't feel at any direct risk. Yes, this individual is receiving first aid over here and these folks don't want perhaps his face shown, but he was caught in the middle of this.

And, again, if you just pan up, Brad, you know, this is all taking place, it's so surreal, in a place where people would pay for excess baggage, or perhaps buy their tickets to leave here. And it's hard not to see all of this as some incredible self-inflicted wound, both on the side of the government for failing to find a way to talk to a young generation of Hong Kongers who are clearly angry, and on the part of the protesters who have adopted increasingly desperate measures to try to show their displeasure with the way things are being run here, John.

KING: We have Ivan Watson live on the scene there. Paula Hancocks as well.

I just want to bring Admiral John Kirby, our military and diplomatic analyst, into the conversation.

We're having this conversation from afar. You and I are sitting in Washington, D.C., half a world away, so caution on our part is necessary as this unpredictable scene plays out.

REAR ADM. JOHN KIRBY (RET.), CNN MILITARY AND DIPLOMATIC ANALYST: Sure.

KING: But this escalation is because the protesters were unhappy with this chief executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam. They did not think she was listening to them.

KIRBY: Right.

KING: In truth, she really is not the person here, right? She cannot make a decision without mainland China.

KIRBY: Right. There are limits to her power and authority given the way the system is set up.

KING: And so the challenge here to President Xi is, do you allow this to continue or do you decide that your power, your manhood, if you will, is being tested here and do you have to do something?

KIRBY: He's in a very delicate position right now. And I think the way he reacts over the coming hours and days will say a lot about where this is going to be going in Hong Kong. I mean he absolutely has to resist challenges to the party. He has tried to assume more power and authority in there.

On the other hand, he knows the world's watching. He knows that Hong Kong represents his sort of entree into the global markets and always has. So he's going to be very careful, I think, as he proceeds. It's going to (INAUDIBLE) a lot about what his judgment is going forward on how strongly he wants to react and how much, so far, he's been giving the authority to Lam. And that's been a deft move on his part. So does he keep doing that, or does he decide to step in.

KING: And if he decides to step in, you heard Paula and Ivan talking earlier about the amassing -- Will Ripley, about the amassing of Chinese security forces --

KIRBY: Right.

KING: Across -- on the other side of the new bridge. I assume President Xi has to understand the optics. We should not directly compare it to Tiananmen Square, but a similar thing. If you had Chinese force coming across a bridge, what those optics would say.

KIRBY: I think he does understand that, John, and he's -- you know, he's aware that many experts are calling this Tiananmen 2.0 if he goes that route.

He's been letting the military and the forces on the other side sort of exercise to sort of show their muscle and strength. And I think that's been a signaling effort by him. But I think he's also aware that he's going to -- he's going to bring down the wrath of the international community on him and perhaps even his economy with additional sanctions should he get involved militarily. I think that he has not done so this -- thus far, has shown that he's

aware of the optics here, he's aware of the sensitivities. But when you have protest movements that get this violent and this virulent, your -- they are closing down his decision space in a worrisome way.

KING: And, Will, as someone who has been on the ground here and has covered this issue and covered the broader issues at play here, what is the demonstrators -- the -- to the degree that the leaders of the protest movement, do they see an opportunity for dialogue or do they think they essentially need to force something that brings global condemnation?

RIPLEY: It's hard to see what dialogue is going to solve at this stage. Let's say Carrie Lam resigns. Let's say she actually withdraws the extradition bill that was the impetus for all of this in the first place three months ago. If that happened, would it be enough? Or does this go beyond that?

I would argue that the protesters who we're seeing act out in Hong Kong tonight, the fear that is driving their actions is much deeper than any one conversation or any one political figure at this stage. It is a fear for their future. It's a fight for their future. A future that they know by 2047 will not include the kind of freedom of expression that is allowed right now.

[12:30:07] But as Ivan pointed out earlier.

END