Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam condemns Sunday's violence

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Monday condemned the violence that broke out hours earlier when weapon-wielding masked assailants attacked pro-democracy protesters, journalists and citizens at a subway station.

Lam said the attack was "shocking" and that she instructed Hong Kong Police Commissioner Stephen Lo to investigate the incident.

"We absolutely do not condone that sort of violent acts and let me make this clear again -- violence is not a solution to any problem," Hong Kong's chief executive said during a press conference. "Violence will only breed more violence and at the end of the day the whole of Hong Kong and the people will suffer as a result of the loss of law in order."

At least 45 people were hurt late Sunday night after a mob of people dressed in white T-shirts and armed with metal or bamboo rods attacked people on subway cars and on the platform of the Yuen Long subway station with police arriving after the assembled group had left the vicinity.

Hours before the violence erupted, protesters attended a march to demand a suspended extradition bill that would allow for some refugees from justice to be sent to face Beijing courts on the Chinese mainland to be wholly withdrawn. Some protesters defaced a national emblem at the China Liaison Office during the march as the protest has evolved into a wider pro-democracy movement.

Lam said the behavior of the attackers was "infuriating."

"We absolutely do not allow or tolerate such behavior," she said.

Police Commissioner Lo defended the police's reaction to the incident, blaming their late response on a lack of manpower.

He said that they received a report of violence at the station at 10:45 p.m. but when the two officers dispatched to the scene arrived, they realized they were not prepared and called for additional help, which arrived at 11:20 p.m.

He said that manpower has been thin since protests escalated last month.

"I think every citizen within the community noted there were a series of violent confrontations during the public procession or public meetings and definitely our manpower is stretched because every time when there is a major event, which may lead to violent confrontations, we have to redeploy some of my manpower from various districts to the Hong Kong Island," he said.

He then defended the decision to close several police stations near the Yuen Long station, stating large groups were surrounding them and it was for his officers' safety.

"But they could still make reports to police through 999 or other means and, indeed, as I have just said, we received the call and responded to the scene," he said.

Allegations among the public of police colluding with the mob due to their late response to the scene was the product of his manpower being stretched so thin and the police do not support any kind of violence, he said.

"I really don't want to see what happened in Yuen Long to happen again," he said.

Later Monday, a police spokesman said six people involved in the Yuen Long attack had been arrested for unlawful assembly, Hong Kong Free Press reported.

The men, between the ages of 24 to 54, had triad connections and more arrests were expected, the spokesperson said.