and, , and, frankly, and, frankly, we've seen stood back and, frankly, we've seen protesters run amok on the streets of hong kong today. i don't know if you are able to a nswer i don't know if you are able to answer this question but you made the point those protesters had moved out of the building from a separate exit, do we know if those protesters we re exit, do we know if those protesters were arrested or whether they just dispersed and got out onto the streets without being detained? i'm afraid that something i don't know. the way they will be dealt with in the short term, and then next hour or so, is something we don't know at this point. whether they were simply allowed to slip away into the night or whether they we re away into the night or whether they were detained, processed, their details taken. that's something we don't know and it would be fascinating to find out exactly what transpired. we've seen in other parts of the world when you have got big protest like this, people are allowed out but then the legal proceedings hit them in the weeks that follow. in terms of what

happens and afraid i don't know what it something and desperate to find out. well the authorities really throw the book at the people who carried this out, even without there we re carried this out, even without there were hundreds of them, will they make a real example of them? in previous protests individuals have been sent to prison for what people considered quite minor infringements. looking at this, how does the city administration respond, how does carrie lam, the chief executive who has faced so much criticism, how does she deal with this when her authority has been shattered in this way. the police, protesters today were talking about how they used to have respect for the police force here, built up over generations, they look after their city together. i think the pairing that will be extremely difficult. and of course, the spectre of beige and, what did the powers that be in china make of this —— spectre of beijing. what what they say about carrie lam's response that she should take.

well, that is nick who is inside the legco building earlier. he had one a two questions you can dance at the time that a clear understanding was that the protesters, a group of them, decided it was time to get out, another group felt they preferred to stay, ultimately they we re preferred to stay, ultimately they were persuaded it seems, this is something one of the legislative councillors has explained to us, they bit persuaded to leave. so the pictures we have live now, this is the picture outside of course, a far cry from where we were even a matter ofan hourago, cry from where we were even a matter of an hour ago, where a huge number of an hour ago, where a huge number of police were moving in on the protesters to shut them down, effectively. a lot of tear gas used in the process, to disperse the crowds. and it has resulted in what is certainly a much quieter and frankly, from where we are sitting, what feels like a rather less tense

situation than perhaps an hour or so ago. nick is still in the legco building. it already looks like a calmer scene than it was just, what, barely an hour ago when you stepped in? you are right. the protesters have gone and i can tell you that because this is the actual place, this is the chamber they occupied earlier today. it was the scene of such extraordinary pictures. normally it is the politicians of hong kong, the people who shape the future of the city who sit here, they debate, they vote, today the protesters came streaming in, they we re protesters came streaming in, they were the ones in control, empower, they made their way down to the front and you could see the graffiti they daubed, the sentiments they wa nted they daubed, the sentiments they wanted to put forward, and up there is the symbol of hong kong. remember this is a 22 years to the day since hong kong was returned from british rule to chinese rule. but these no other people who have to deal with

this mess, you have the police commissioner on the left, carrie lam, the embattled chief executive many have been calling for her resignation, and for the police chief in particular, massive questions to ask. we know in a few weeks before this protest they faced accusations of police brutality, todayit accusations of police brutality, today it seemed to go the other way, there was not a police officer to be seen, it meant the protesters were able to do what they want, they were able to do what they want, they were able to do what they want, they were able to encircle this building, smashed through the glass, bring forward endless amounts of projectiles, barriers, they smashed their way through, they came in here, they have left but the damage has been done. the damage has certainly been done and we have seen from your earlier walkabout, if i can call it that, the graffiti, the mess that has been left behind. if we are in a position here where frankly there hasn't been perhaps the violent confrontation which even an hourago the violent confrontation which even an hour ago looked certainly

possible, this does seem to fall better into the hands of the authorities, the government, if you like, in hong kong, in terms of what has happened in the last few hours, they will be able to show pictures ofa they will be able to show pictures of a right old mess in legco and there will be in a great sense that they have overreacted in terms of they have overreacted in terms of the protesters who moved in. they have overreacted in terms of the protesters who moved inlj they have overreacted in terms of the protesters who moved in. i think that's a really interesting way of looking at it. thinking about it, you could say they were faced with two options, did they go in hard or did they go in and a soft way or in fa ct ste p did they go in and a soft way or in fact step back and let the protesters do what they wanted? you can certainly make the point now that the authorities said, we listened before two people putt anger with the police and the way they dealt with protests here, today we sat back and so people may praise them for that. but on the other hand there will be those who say why did it come to this, why was there no in between? why was there no middle way, as it were? why was there not the containment of protesters, why we re the containment of protesters, why were they not shepherded away from

the building? i think it will be interesting to see what the wider hong kong public think of this. so many people here today were teenagers, in their early 20s, and they were carrying out this action at the same time that older hong kong citizens, people with families, we re kong citizens, people with families, were marching through the city as they always do on the ist ofjuly to show their displeasure with beijing. will they be completely put off, repulsed by what they have seen, or will they if not overtly endorsing the action here think actually these are desperate times for hong kong and they support the sentiment? i think it will be fascinating in the coming weeks. thank you very much. i should point out the pictures we have been just been showing which suggested a confrontation might be in the offing, those of the pictures prior to the assembly being cleared out itself. these are the live pictures now. there is a certain amount of daybreak around, obviously, both inside and out, a lot of clearing up to be done, another day in which a very clear

marker has been put down by the people of hong kong to say we are not happy with the way in which our democratic freedoms are being manipulated, theirfear democratic freedoms are being manipulated, their fear is democratic freedoms are being manipulated, theirfear is it is largely being driven by beijing and i think there is one thing we can be sure about, this evening, is that the protests will continue. as will oui’ the protests will continue. as will our coverage now with ben brown on the news channel. you are continuing to watch live pictures from our cameras inside the legislative council in hong kong. and this was a scene of complete devastation, really, whether protest is where earlier. use of the chamber, those pictures from inside the chamber where the protesters had occupied for several hours, scrawling graffiti on the walls, amongst other things, but then as the riot police to massed outside

the riot police to massed outside the building, the protest is simply melted away from the chamber itself. in the hong kong riot police are now backin in the hong kong riot police are now back in control of the legislative council, the city's parliament. they have taken it back from the anti—government protesters who had stormed the building a few hours earlier. and the police had been firing tear gas and using batons to charge the demonstrators on the streets outside. let's go back to nick, who has been bringing us these extraordinary live images from inside. you have been able to walk around at will and survey for yourself what the demonstrators had done. paint is a picture once again of where we are now, because they seem to just melt away when the riot police came in. they did, and this is the scene they left behind. this is the scene they left behind. this is the scene they left behind. this is the main chamber, the crucible of

all this action today. normally it is the politicians of hong kong, the people who dictate the future of this place, they have their debates here, they vote here, but today there was no politician in sight, instead it was a stream of protesters who burst through the doors, they left graffiti over there, they made their way to the front, where they daubed more graffiti and they defaced the image of hong kong, remember this is a really symbolic day, the ist of july, it marks the handover of power from the british rule to the chinese rule. there are normally protests in some way against beijing, but nothing like this. you are just looking at the images of some of the people who have to try and pick up the pieces. on the left we have the police commissioner, he is under massive fire now. was the result response today appropriate? did they sit back too much? carrie lam, many people remain their face, sit back too much? carrie lam, many people remain theirface, the chief executive backed by beijing. how does she try to repair this fractured city? what happens next?

so many unknowns. what is known is that the protesters have melted away from this particular location. but in terms of the repercussions in the coming weeks and months, will they face prosecution over the authorities say we have stood back, we let this happen, will they try to ta ke we let this happen, will they try to take some moral high ground? i think it is interesting to see what happens next. ultimately, i suppose the fear is that beijing will be angered by what they have seen here and may decide, if not now, in the future, that they can't allow this thing to happen again. and maybe that they would impose some sort of crackdown in hong kong. yes, and i think that is in people's mines here. they are concerned about the influence of hong kong, of china. whether it is a more subtle influence or more overt, in the form of this bill that so many people hated that would have sent suspects to mainland china to face trial. and

i think that is a concern. i was talking to one of the police chiefs a few days ago, and i was saying was there any palisson there were possibility he would ask for back up from the mainland if there were big protests ? h e from the mainland if there were big protests? he ruled it out. but i think the response of hong kong now will be channelled through the response of beijing. we know carrie lam has been backed by the powers that be in beijing and they will be certainly encouraging her, influencing her in what they do next. people are mindful that they would have really angered the chinese authorities, because this was supposed to be a day that marks china, marks chinese influence, and the fact the 22 years ago this place moved to chinese rule. this has been an embarrassment, deep embarrassment for the powers that be today, and of course the patient as well. show us around a little more. you are right there inside this legislative chamber where, as you say, normally thatis chamber where, as you say, normally that is the work that is done there, but it is a complete mess as we can

see, there is graffiti everywhere, chaos, mass, and the authorities, as you say, will be pretty embarrassed by all of this. yes, absolutely. this is a place where debates take place, you have the chief people, whose word really matters, their opinions count, and this is what we see today, graffiti daubed on this particular desk, you have a computer screen that has been ripped up, some papers that have been removed. the protesters made this their home. you have water bottles here, bars of chocolate, further down here it looks like someone got a takeaway delivery! the fact that the protesters could come in here and make it their own really speaks volumes. you have some... i'm not quite sure what that is in that particular bottle. but you have some of the other detritus, and tools of the protesters' trade. you have

scissors here, gloves, also tape. and it has to be said, many people of course will criticise the actions of course will criticise the actions of these protesters. but they were highly effective. we saw the human chains, people passing barriers to the front, and they taped or glued together projectiles, they created for themselves their own army, and they were able to do that because they were able to do that because the police did not confront them, they were waiting in the wings. that was clear. but they did not confront them and that seems that after accusations of being heavy handed two weeks ago, that the police really held back. a few umbrellas, there. that is an interesting symbol of this protest movement. it has been raining today, but also this has been protection from the pepper spray that the police have been firing, but also it is served as a means of protecting the identity of these protesters, many are fearful about what might happen. we were talking about the role of beijing, we we re talking about the role of beijing, we were talking to some people today

who were worried about chinese secret police picking up on their identity, singling them out for their actions. again, this is the day we left behind. in that chamber we saw the union flag was raised at one stage, and that will really infuriate chinese authorities. the message really was that 22 years after the handover of hong kong, this former british colony, the protesters prefer british rule to chinese rule. they don't want to see their freedom slip away in the way, and to become part of the chinese mainland. yes, it is obviously a really striking image, and we have seen over the past few weeks solitary union flags flying. i think if you talk to many people here it is difficult, and it is a generational gap, and people do vary, look back in 1997, the overwhelming feeling here was that people wanted to be free of british rule, they wanted

self—determination, self—rule. 22 yea rs self—determination, self—rule. 22 years on, you get the sense that the feeling has shifted and so whether people want to return to british rule or whether or not they want to be masters of their own destiny, i think that is one thing the young people we were talking to today where saying, we were talking to some politic students and they were saying they want in this day and age to be able to forge their own future and are concerned about the way beijing continues to influence them. and it is interesting, if you look ahead to 2047, that is the year when this 50 year period when hong kong is able to have self—rule and hang on to itsjudiciary is able to have self—rule and hang on to its judiciary and some other freedoms, that people in mainland china simply do not enjoy, no way would they have been able to get away with this today, to carry out this sort of action. people are looking ahead to 2047 and if the future looks chinese for many they do not like it one bit. so i think that has been powering the anger, powering the protest, powering what is now a movement. it is much wider than people angry with one specific

piece of legislation. it is a wider movement, people talking about democracy, some talking about a revolution. thank you, nick. thank you for the guided tour of what is left of the debating chamber. nick, oui’ left of the debating chamber. nick, our correspondent inside a parliament building in hong kong. let's talk now to kerry allen who is the china analyst with bbc monitoring, as we continue to look at his extraordinary life pictures from inside the legislative council building. let's talk about what, if any, of all of this will be broadcast or shown or talked about in the mainstream chinese media in china? interestingly, this morning china? interestingly, this morning china had its message, it started since these protest began over three weeks ago, it started to come eight originally sense in any discussion of the protests, but today in the morning, basically there are two

anniversaries, there is the 22nd year of the handover of hong kong from the uk to china, but it is also the 98th anniversary of the communist party. there is a big message in china about lookout strong the communist party is and basically hong kong want to be part of china, this message that hong kong is an integral part of china. at the same time, they have been putting out footage showing protests that are happening to support the police. what they have been doing in recent weeks is talking about hooliganism, acts of vandalism in the country, they have not been showing in peaceful protests whatsoever, those pictures have been censored. today when protesters were smashing the windows of the legislative council, it was in beijing's favour because they could hand—pick these images in this video and they could use it further down the line. but now, because they manage to get into the building, the government will be nervous about this. the idea that you could break

into government building is horrifying to the patient government. i have noticed in the last hour that all these words that we re last hour that all these words that were censored weeks ago i suddenly censored again. words like hong kong, march, and the legislative council, hong kong cosmic government. they were relaxed because bashan could say, it is just a cts because bashan could say, it is just acts of vandalism by people who are being brainwashed by the us government. but now protesters have managed to get into a government building, beijing are saying they cannot let people see it. so they don't want any of that invasion, that occupation of the legislative council chamber. they will not want that disseminated or reported on at all. absolutely not. basically this idea that hong kong is part of china is an idea that comes up again and again, and there is a real austerity, a kind of seriousness around chinese politics. you couldn't just break into

around chinese politics. you couldn'tjust break into a government building — that kind of idea to beijing... you couldn't see this. what about the whole debate, the people of hong kong don't want the people of hong kong don't want the extradition bell, they don't wa nt the extradition bell, they don't want suspects extradited to mainland china, is any of that they discussed in the wider chinese media? the bill is, when it was suspected by —— suspended by carrie lam two weeks ago, beijing acknowledged they needed to go back perhaps and look at ways to change it, but only this, the protests for example, any protests are seen as acts of dissent against the communist party because the communist party supports the bill. and even though it is a hong kong bell china sees it as a chinese bell. hong kong is an area that belongs to china so it says basically you can't have any acts of protest in government rule. all right. thank you very much. we can

talk now to cloudier who is a journalist and hong kong legislative council member, who has been very close to what is happening today. we will continue to look at the live pictures from inside the legislative council building. thank you for joining us. give your us view of what has been happening today, some extraordinary events. those live pictures you are seeing are very shocking and unexpected. but then i also wish the world would understand the hong kong young people's bottled up the hong kong young people's bottled up anger the hong kong young people's bottled up angerand the hong kong young people's bottled up anger and resentment and the hostility in particular at the legislature, because it is a rather stamping body all these years. and the democrats are always outnumbered

because of our very twisted election