This video of Hong Kong protests getting teargassed is surprisingly scary

This video, taken on Sunday in Hong Kong’s Central business district where protesters have been clustered, shows what it was like in the center of the peaceful demonstrations the moment that tear gas hit. There is such chaos and panic in the crowd, which numbered at that point in the tens of thousands, that it’s a miracle no one was killed.

This sort of violence is unheard of in peaceful and prosperous Hong Kong. The citizens of Hong Kong pride themselves on their freedom to protest peacefully, which they do often. The unprecedented severity of the police crackdown on Sunday shocked much of Hong Kong, and appears to have rallied residents to the protester’s cause, hitting on underlying anxieties that Hong Kong could become more like authoritarian mainland China.

That sense of shock comes through in this video. What’s remarkable — and really significant — is that the protesters didn’t disperse after this. They dug in, and they’re still there now.