HONG KONG—Life in Hong Kong was crippled for a third straight day Wednesday, as the aftermath of two days of violence and fears of further clashes disrupted transportation and kept many children home from school.
Commuters struggled to get to work. Dozens of bus lines were suspended, subway service was delayed and several train stations were either closed or offered limited access. Huge crowds piled up in the subways amid the long delays. Streets, meanwhile, were filled with bricks, poles, garbage—the debris of another night of fierce protests.
Large groups of people dressed in the protesters’ usual black gathered again alongside office workers in masks at lunchtime in the city’s main business district, chanting slogans like “Stand with Hong Kong.” Anger at the police is running high in the city, and each round of confrontations has provided fresh fuel.
The previous two days saw some of the worst violence to hit Hong Kong in more than five months of unrest. The clashes have filled residential neighborhoods, universities and the heart of the financial district with tear gas. The phrase “Young protesters are dying and you act like normal” was spray painted on a road beside office buildings and luxury shops.
The action intensified Tuesday night at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where police fired round after round of tear gas, deployed a water cannon and shot nonlethal rounds like beanbags and rubber bullets at protesters, who countered with firebombs and bricks.
On Wednesday, police said they had arranged for police boats to ferry mainland Chinese students who wanted to leave but couldn’t because of blocked roads.
Some would-be commuters didn’t bother going to their offices Wednesday. Many companies advised employees to work from home. The Education Bureau said schools would be closed on Thursday.
Police warned Tuesday that Hong Kong society “has been pushed to the brink of a total breakdown.”
C.Y. Liu made his way to work Wednesday but said that this week there have been four times as many people as usual taking his ferry, as commuters look for ways around snarled train service.
“I’m not frustrated at all,” said Mr. Liu, who said he agrees with the protesters’ fight for democracy. He is, however, troubled by their use of violence.
The protests, initially sparked by a now-withdrawn bill allowing suspects to be extradited to China, have morphed into a broader antigovernment movement. Many demonstrators are focusing their anger on alleged police brutality. This week’s outpouring was set off by the death of a student from injuries caused by a fall in a parking garage close to where police had been using tear gas to disperse protesters.
The protesters have five demands, including amnesty for those arrested and a judge-led independent investigation into police conduct.
Hong Kong residents have been divided by the movement, especially with the economy tumbling into recession. The Hang Seng Index, the city’s stock market benchmark, was down roughly 2% midday Wednesday, its second sizable decline in the past three days.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has said the government won’t yield to protesters’ demands despite the increased violence. And she has said she wouldn’t consider launching an independent police inquiry until after a council that investigates complaints against police gives its initial report.
—Natasha Khan contributed to this article.
Write to Steven Russolillo at steven.russolillo@wsj.com
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