Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam has voiced her concerns about the ongoing protests taking place in Hong Kong. She said the public disorder is disrupting life in the city and is pushing it to "the verge of an extremely dangerous situation". Her comments came after the city was hit with more street demonstrations in which protestors fought with police for the ninth weekend in a row. The current protests also saw a citywide strike and considerable disruption to roads and transport systems. Hong Kong was brought to a standstill on Monday morning as streets were blocked and 200 flights were cancelled. Demonstrators ensured trains could not move by keeping their doors open, angering many passengers.

The protests began in March against a proposed bill to allow people to be extradited to stand trial in mainland China. They have since developed into calls for greater democracy. On July 1st, hundreds of protesters stormed the Hong Kong legislature building after breaking through glass walls and metal doors. They caused damage inside by spray-painting slogans and defacing flags and paintings. A central government spokesperson strongly condemned the latest demonstrators. He said: "Their conduct has blatantly offended the state and national dignity, wantonly trampled on the bottom line of the 'one country, two systems' principle, and greatly hurt the feelings of the entire Chinese people."