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Hong Kong protests: police under fire as viral video shows elderly residents of Yuen Long care home suffering from effects of tear gas

  • Footage filmed from inside Kwan Yue Elder Nursing Home on On Lok Road
  • Woman can be heard on video asking why windows aren’t closed as police fire gas at protesters outside

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Protesters run through clouds of tear gas during clashes with police in Yuen Long. Photo: EPA-EFE
Hong Kong police’s decision to fire tear gas in the heavily populated and residential district of Yuen Long on Saturday has come under fire, after a viral video showed residents of an old people’s home choking on the noxious substance.
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The footage shows a cloud of tear gas spreading inside the room through a window, which is soon completely blocked from view. It contradicts the police’s earlier claim that no nursing homes had been affected by their clearance operation.

Sounds of coughing can be heard on the video, with an old lady saying: “Why aren’t the windows closed?”

The woman is believed to be a resident on the first floor of the Kwan Yue Elder Nursing Home in Yuen Long. The building faces On Lok Road, where tear gas was fired by riot police against protesters.

On Sunday, a staff member from the nursing home said no residents had been sent to hospital because of the tear gas. He said police had called them in advance to take precautionary measures against possible chaos.

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