Hong Kong police surround university as violent standoff with students continues

Hundreds of protesters are trying to provoke police in the streets of Kowloon in a bid to lure them away from the nearby siege at Polytechnic University.

It's unclear if their plan is working, but it's a tense scene on Nathan Road in Jordan. Police have fired tear gas, and protesters have thrown petrol bombs and chanted, "Hong Kong people, take revenge!"

As many as 1,000 protesters are estimated to be holed up on the university campus. One Nathan Road protester -- who asked to be called Josh -- said he was hoping to distract police.

"We don't want to leave anyone behind," he told CNN. "We hope to save our friends in Polytechnic University.
"I want to use my actions to tell them they are not alone ... We don't want them to lose any hope."

Another protester -- a woman dressed in black and wearing a pink gas mask -- said she had been out for hours.

“We don’t have a masterplan but all of the decisions we make, we try and be safe, and we still want to save them (inside PolyU) and need to distract the police.”

On Monday, police spokesman Kwok Ka-chuen said it was "saddening to see our society being torn apart."

"Hong Kong’s rule of law has been pushed to the brink of total collapse as masked rioters recklessly escalate their violence under the false hope that they can get away with it," he said. "Please join us to put an end to violence before it is too late."

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