Water cannon, tear gas used on Hong Kong protesters who hurl petrol bombs at police and vandalise MTR after tens of thousands march

• Demonstration kicks off in Causeway Bay, with groups later damaging MTR facilities again
• Protesters occupy roads near government headquarters and throw petrol bombs

Tens of thousands of protesters in Hong Kong have defied a police ban to march from the busy shopping hub of Causeway Bay to Central, as radical groups smash facilities at MTR stations in Admiralty and Wan Chai, while police fire tear gas and deploy a water cannon in retaliation against petrol bomb attacks near the government headquarters.

Tram services from Pedder Street in Central to North Point have also been suspended.

Police had for the second time banned a rally and march planned by the Civil Human Rights Front over fears of violence as the city enters its 15th straight weekend of protests. On Saturday, skirmishes occurred in various parts of the city as pro-Beijing groups clashed with anti-government protesters.

The social unrest gripping Hong Kong was sparked by the extradition bill, which would have allowed the transfer of fugitives to jurisdictions with which the city has no such agreement, including mainland China. While authorities have announced the withdrawal of the bill, the movement has since grown into a widespread anti-government campaign with protesters demanding an inquiry into police action over the protests and universal suffrage.

Follow our live blog below for the latest updates. Reporting by Phila Siu, Alvin Lum, Linda Lew, Jeffie Lam, Danny Mok, Nectar Gan and Gigi Choy.

Copyright (c) 2019. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.