LegCo president condemns 'violence and vandalism'

On Tuesday Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, president of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's Legislative Council strongly condemned violence targeting the city's legislature by masked protesters who stormed and vandalized the complex on Monday evening.

Leung, after inspecting the aftermath, said LegCo will cancel remaining meetings scheduled before its summer recess in mid-July, as it needs time to repair the extensive damage.

"I believe many people from Hong Kong were also saddened by what happened in the LegCo", Leung lamented.

Leung said he hoped society could find a rational way forward for the interests of Hong Kong.

Police are gathering evidence in the complex, among their findings separate from the violent destruction were the discovery some hard drives were found missing.

The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council issued a statement on Tuesday condemning the violent acts.

The office also expressed its firm support for the Hong Kong SAR government and the police to uphold rule of law and hold lawbreakers accountable.

The spokesperson said a number of radical protesters violently attacked the LegCo on a day when Hong Kong was celebrating its return to the motherland. They have trampled the city's rule of law, disrupted Hong Kong's social order and damaged Hong Kong's fundamental interest, the spokesperson said.

It is a blatant act of defiance of the "one country, two systems" principle, the spokesperson stressed.

In expressing strong condemnation, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR said the violence and vandalism in the legislature was shocking, saddening and outrageous.

Such savage acts were outright provocation and trampled the city's rule of law, which has gravely sabotaged Hong Kong's social stability and cannot be tolerated, the office said.

The office also expressed its firm support for the SAR government to deal with the violence in accordance with law, to safeguard the rule of law and social order and maintain the city's prosperity and stability in concert with various sectors of the Hong Kong community.