In pictures, University a battleground in Hong Kong protests

HONG KONG (AP) — For more than two weeks a Hong Kong university was transformed, first into a protester fortress with slingshots to fire gasoline bombs, then a city under siege with police arresting anyone who came out.

The police departed on Friday, taking with them nearly 4,000 gasoline bombs and leaving perhaps a few protesters still hiding in the warren of buildings 12 days after the siege began.

Protesters took over the urban campus in mid-November, using bricks to block surrounding streets as part of a campaign to disrupt traffic around the city. They turned the campus into a base, making weapons and setting up first aid stations and meal service in the cafeteria.

The police advanced on protester defenses in surrounding streets on a Saturday night and all day Sunday, bombarding them with tear gas and water cannons. Protesters wielded a wall of umbrellas on the front line and threw barrages of gasoline bombs, driving back an armored police vehicle in flames.

As the protesters retreated into the campus, the police set up a cordon that night. They warned that everyone inside could be charged with rioting.

Several groups tried to escape the next day, only to be driven back by tear gas. Some came out and turned themselves in to police. Others tried daring escapes through sewers or rappelling down from overpasses to waiting motorcycles. It’s not clear how many got out, but most either surrendered or were caught.

Several dozen held out as the siege dragged on into its second week. After 12 days, the police pulled out and university officials began contemplating the task of cleaning up and repairing a heavily damaged campus, walls covered with graffiti messages, a rotting stench and scarred areas burnt by fires.

In this Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019, file photo, protestors practice using a homemade slingshot at Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong. Hong Kong police warned protesters on Thursday that they were moving "one step closer to terrorism" by sinking the city into chaos, as riot squads skirmished with militant students at major universities. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

In this Nov. 14, 2019, file photo, protesters walk past barricades of bricks on a road near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong. Hong Kong residents endured a fourth day of traffic snarls and mass transit disruptions Thursday as protesters closed some main roads and rail networks while police skirmished with militant students at major universities. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

In this Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, file photo, protesters walk past stacks of instant noodles in a canteen at Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong. Protesters who have barricaded themselves in a Hong Kong university partially cleared a road they were blocking and demanded that the government commit to holding local elections on Nov. 24. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

In this Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, file photo, a statue of Sun Yat-sen, who is widely regarded as the founding father of modern China, is dressed with helmet and mask at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University which remains occupied by protesters. Most anti-government protesters abandoned their occupation of Hong Kong's universities Saturday, while the small contingents that remained harassed some of those cleaning up and kept a major cross-harbor tunnel closed. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

In this Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, file photo, protestors wait outside of Hong Kong Polytechnic University after police gave protestors an ultimatum to leave the campus in Hong Kong. A Hong Kong police officer was hit in the leg by an arrow Sunday as authorities used tear gas and water cannons to try to drive back protesters occupying a university campus and blocking a major road tunnel under the city's harbor. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

In this Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, file photo, a protestor stands on a bridge near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong. A Hong Kong police officer was hit in the leg by an arrow Sunday as authorities used tear gas and water cannons to try to drive back protesters occupying a university campus and surrounding streets. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

In this Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, file photo, protestors react as police fire tear gas near Hong Kong Polytechnic University after police gave protestors an ultimatum to leave the campus in Hong Kong. Police launched a late-night operation Sunday to try to flush about 200 protesters out of a university campus on a day of clashes in which an officer was hit in the leg with an arrow and massive barrages of tear gas and water cannons were fired. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

In this Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, file photo, protestors wait outside of Hong Kong Polytechnic University after police gave protestors an ultimatum to leave the campus in Hong Kong. A Hong Kong police officer was hit in the leg by an arrow Sunday as authorities used tear gas and water cannons to try to drive back protesters occupying a university campus and blocking a major road tunnel under the city's harbor. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

In this Monday, Nov. 18, 2019, file photo, a protester walks past burning debris as police storm part of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus during the early morning hours in Hong Kong. Police breached the university campus held by protesters early Monday after an all-night siege that included firing repeated barrages of tear gas and water cannons. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

In this Monday, Nov. 18, 2019, file photo, a fire burns near the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong. Police stormed into a Hong Kong university campus held by protesters early Monday after an all-night siege that included firing repeated barrages of tear gas and water cannons. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)