As protesters disrupted traffic to facilitate a general strike on 11 November 2019, other protesters inside Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) threw objects onto railway tracks near the University station, to which the Hong Kong Police Force responded by shooting pepper bullets at students and launching volleys of tear gas into the campus.

The next day saw various clashes and skirmishes between the two sides, with the police storming into campus to conduct arrests while the protesters, in response, threw petrol bombs.

[7] The death of Chow Tsz-lok, who had died after falling from the second storey of a building onto a car park in Sheung Tak Estate, Tseung Kwan O, led to widespread outrage in Hong Kong.

[8][9] While the cause of the death of Chow would never be found, with a jury delivering an open verdict in January 2021,[10] protesters accused the police of obstructing paramedics from attending to him, resulting in a delay in treatment.

[13] Students in CUHK began throwing objects onto the East Rail line and Tolo Highway in order to support a general strike in Hong Kong.

However, the negotiations broke off as the police advanced and began firing tear gas into the campus, while the student protesters, in response, hurled bricks and petrol bombs at around 3 pm.

2 Bridge, arrested several people inside the campus, and shot canisters of tear gas and rubber bullets at students on the Sir Philip Haddon-Cave Sports Field.

[21] At 10:00 pm, the police for a short time deployed water cannons, while protesters threw petrol bombs to stop them from advancing.

Protesters marched into the Festival Walk shopping centre in Kowloon Tong after the mall closed early and set a giant Christmas tree on fire; some glass balustrades and doors were also smashed.

In Mong Kok, police fired multiple tear gas rounds as protesters blocked roads and vandalised public infrastructure, such as traffic lights and switchboxes.

In the morning of 13 November, protesters fortified the campuses by constructing roadblocks and barricades using bricks and furniture such as tables and chairs at major entrances near the university.

[30] The president of the CUHK student union applied for an interim injunction to stop the police from entering the university campuses without proper warrant, though the court dismissed the application.

[38] The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong sent representatives to CUHK and arranged for 85 Taiwanese students to return to Taiwan.

They indicated an intention to reopen one lane in each direction of the Tolo Highway as a symbol of good faith, demanding the government hold the 2019 District Council elections as scheduled on 24 November, release arrested people, and establish an independent commission of inquiry within 24 hours.

[40] In a statement, the CUHK Students' Union stated that they questioned the three protesters' plan to open the highway to traffic, and that none of their members participated in the press conference.

[57] The pro-democracy camp issued a statement asking for international level assistance[58] to save the students[59] and to avoid a repetition of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.

The statement also criticised the police for cutting off supplies to CUHK and trying to invade the university by constant shooting, which had injured many students.

[63] The presidents of Hong Kong's public universities released a joint statement expressing regrets that the campuses became occupied by protesters following "societal disagreements".

[26] The Hong Kong Police Force spokesman warned that the protesters' acts were "another step closer to terrorism",[65] and called CUHK a "weapon factory".

[6] On 13 November, Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen posted on Facebook highlighting the previous invasions into university campuses by Taiwan police, which seriously harmed freedom of speech.