Hong Kong protesters trample Chinese flag, dump it in a river at violent rally

Protesters in Hong Kong have trampled a Chinese flag, vandalised a subway station and set up a flaming barricade across a wide street, as pro-democracy demonstrations took a violent turn once again. Key points: Some protesters took turns walking over the flag and spraying it with paint One group of protesters trashed the subway station attached to the mall Hardliners in the pro-democracy movement say extreme actions are necessary The day's action began peacefully, as protesters filled a shopping mall and, in a new twist, folded paper origami cranes that they tied onto a large rigging that they assembled in the mall in the Shatin district. Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, now in their fourth month, have often descended into violence late in the day and at night. Protesters say Beijing and Ms Lam's government are eroding the "high degree of autonomy" and Western-style civil liberties promised to the former British colony when it was returned to China in 1997.