Rule of law on brink of collapse, warns Hong Kong police

Hong Kong, Nov 15 (ANI): The anti-government protestors in Hong Kong continued their blockade of parts of the city for the fifth consecutive day on Friday, forcing schools to shut and blocking highways.
The Cross-Harbour Tunnel, a key link between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, remained closed for a second day after toll booths were set on fire and protesters blockaded the road, Al Jazeera reported.
Police have warned that the city's rule of law has been pushed to the 'brink of total collapse' after more than five months of anti-government protests.
"Hong Kong's rule of law has been pushed to the brink of total collapse as mask rioters recklessly escalate their violence under the hope that they can get away with it," Senior Superintendent of Police Public Relations, Kong Wing-Cheung said in a press briefing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has that putting an end to the violence and restoring order remains Hong Kong's most urgent priority. He said that the continuous radical violent activities in the city seriously trample rule of law and the social order, and challenges the "one country, two systems" principle.
The Chinese President's remarks came at the 11th BRICS summit held in Brazil.
The past few days witnessed some of the most violent scenes in Hong Kong since the beginning of the protests back in June, including the death of a 70-year old man, who had sustained a head injury during clashes between government supporters and anti-government protesters in Hong Kong earlier this week.
The man, who worked as a cleaner for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department via an outsourced firm, was on a lunch break when he was struck by "hard objects hurled by masked rioters on Wednesday", as per a statement by the government.
Prior to that, a student protester died after sustaining a fatal head injury in a parking garage close to the scene of a protest. His death triggered a fresh wave of protests in the city, which left over 30 people injured and led to over 287 arrests.

Hong Kong has been gripped by anti-government protests since June, this year, which began against extradition legislation, but continued even after it was scrapped.
The recent incidents of violence in Hong Kong have been condemned by the United States and South Korea. (ANI)