Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam apologises over police striking mosque with water cannon blue dye

Lam was dressed in a shawl when she visited the Kowloon mosque on Monday, apologising to Islamic leaders, according to a spokesman. 

The police also apologise for accidentally spraying the mosque’s front steps, reassuring the public that they "respect religious freedom and will strive to protect all places of worship."

Worshippers gathered at the mosque for prayers on Monday, with the blue-stained water from the cannons remained splayed on the road in front of the most important place for Islamic worship in Hong Kong.    

Chief Imam Muhammad Arshad accepted the apology and said the Islamic community hoped to continue its practices in Hong Kong without further disturbances. 

The police action was targeting protesters the night before, after a two week lull in protests that have been overtaking the streets of Hong Kong the last five months. 

The peaceful march turned violent when a radical faction of young protesters clashed with riot police. 

The protests that started in June demand universal suffrage, independent inquiries into police brutality, amnesties for those persecuted for protesting and a recognition of their legitimate status as protesters rather than rioters. 

Hong Kongers are defiant to China’s influence in the country, denouncing its attempt to limit their freedoms since their hand over from Britain in 1997.