<![CDATA[Pan-democrat lawmakers call on protesters to calm down to avoid 'falling into government's trap', while Hong Kong feminist activist incurs wrath of demonstrators over Tin Shui Wai arrests]>

Pan-democrat legislators have called on some of the more radical protesters in the leaderless anti-extradition movement to calm down and rethink their strategy, or risk playing into the government's hands.

NeoDemocrat lawmaker Gary Fan Kwok-wai also accused the government of fuelling the clashes between residents from both sides by branding the protests a separatist movement.

He was speaking a day after Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said in a press conference that the protesters were now calling for a revolution to liberate Hong Kong, which threatened national sovereignty.

"All of this is trying to justify the violent crackdown by police," he said. "The protesters' attempts to besiege police stations or confront officers will definitely weaken the movement and even fall into the government's trap."

Protesters in the movement, sparked by opposition to an extradition bill but which has broadened to encompass wider disaffection with the authorities, unleashed chaos across Hong Kong in an unprecedented citywide rampage on Monday.

In addition to a mass strike, protesters besieged police stations in Tin Shui Wai, Tai Po, Sha Tin, Tsim Sha Tsui, Wong Tai Sin, Sham Shui Po, Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan, launching arson attacks at some of them.

The leaderless movement has been mostly organised online, using the mobile messaging app Telegram and popular online forum LIHKG.

Fan believed that another strike like Monday's would work better than confrontations with police.

IT lawmaker Charles Mok, of the Professionals Guild, agreed that besieging police stations was a dangerous move, saying it was important for the movement to maintain widespread support.

"We should not fall into the trap of the local and central governments. They want to see this happen so we lose public support," he said.

Meanwhile, a local feminist who planned a peaceful demonstration in Tin Shui Wai found herself the target of accusations by online activists after dozens of protesters were arrested at the scene on Monday night.

Petula Ho Sik-ying, social work professor at the University of Hong Kong and co-founder of online platform Gender and Sexual Justice in Action, called for a protest at 1pm on Monday against the arrest of a female protester who was photographed with her dress pulled up and underwear exposed when police dragged away, an act protesters called a sexual assault. Police later insisted officers had not behaved inappropriately, and blamed the woman for putting up a fight and resisting arrest.

During the demonstration, a group of riot police suddenly charged into the crowd and start arresting the protesters outside station.

An online post on LIHKG blamed Ho for telling protesters "to hold firm and stand there like a peaceful gathering, but she was later let go while protesters and citizens were arrested" " an accusation Ho rejected.

Following the arrests, police fired rounds of tear gas at around 2:40pm to disperse the crowds.

Protesters fled, with some throwing smoking canisters back towards police lines. The violent stand-off continued late into the night, with 82 protesters arrested.

Ho rejected the accusation her appeal for a peaceful protest had led to the arrests.

"I did not ask anyone to stand there and wait for the police to arrest them," she said. "It was so sudden when the riot police rushed out to arrest the black-clad protesters, who had done nothing."

She also noted the leaderless movement was different from the Occupy movement five years ago, which was mainly led by student leaders and scholars who advocated peaceful protest, asking the protesters not to be violent.

"To sit down [and remain peaceful] was the approach before the Umbrella Revolution. But now, am I crazy to ask the protesters to sit down?" she asked. "We can't even escape from [the police]. How would I ask people to stay there to wait for the police to arrest them? We have to 'be water', meaning move around!"

But since the online accusation, Ho was subjected to certain degree of harassment. On Tuesday, while she was having lunch in Jordan, she was approached and scolded by an unknown woman. After that, a photo of her was posted on Facebook exposing her location, with a message asking people to come and confront her.

"I understand the frustration and anger of seeing so many people arrested in Tin Shui Wai. I also understand that people need an outlet to release their emotions, but they should not hunt me down," Ho said.

Additional reporting by Jeffie Lam

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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