China's central government firmly supports the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government in handling the violence at the Legislative Council (LegCo) building and investigating the criminal responsibility of violent offenders in accordance with the law, said the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of China's State Council on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the office condemned the violent acts committed by some protesters who stormed the LegCo building on Monday.
He stressed that the central government firmly supports the police in cracking down on such unlawful activities and safeguarding rule of law and social stability in Hong Kong SAR.
July 1 marks not only the establishment of Hong Kong SAR, but also the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China, the spokesperson said.
"However, some protestors have used the bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance as an excuse and attacked the LegCo building in an extremely violent manner," he noted, saying the violence is a blatant challenge to the policy of "One Country, Two Systems."
In the early morning on Tuesday, Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam held a press conference and condemned the violent acts as "extreme use of violence and vandalism," saying she hopes that the Hong Kong society will return to normal as soon as possible.
