Hundreds of protesters broke through the glass walls and metal doors and entered the building, then ransacked and vandalised the interior with anti-government and anti-PRC slogans.

[11] Protesters damaged portraits of former pro-Beijing presidents of the Legislative Council, spray-painted slogans such as "It was you who taught me peaceful marches did not work" (是你教我和平遊行是沒用) and "There are no rioters, only tyrannical rule" (没有暴徒祗有暴政),[12][13][14] smashed furniture, defaced the Hong Kong emblem, waved the Union Flag and displayed the colonial Hong Kong flag on the podium.

[18] Protesters broke into the locked Legislative Council building by smashing thick glass doors and prying open metal security curtains.

[20] They climbed onto desks in the legislature's main chamber and reached up to spray the official city emblem with black paint, obliterating the portion which read "People's Republic of China", only leaving Hong Kong's part of the emblem untouched, reflecting protesters’ desire to preserve the freedoms, autonomy and judicial independence of Hong Kong, while maintaining its legislature and economic system separate from mainland China.

[20] One slogan – directed towards Carrie Lam – sprayed in Chinese on a column inside the building read: "It was you who told me peaceful marches did not work" (是你教我和平遊行是没用).

from Suzanne Collins' novel Mockingjay encapsulated protesters' desperation and reflected their pessimism and hardened stance, in stark contrast to the Umbrella Movement.

This was underlined by the sign stuck to the refrigerator, which read, “We’re not thieves, we won't steal.” [24] Protesters blamed the occupation and acts of property damage to be the result of Carrie Lam's "lack of positive response to the public.

[33] However, observers have asserted it was allowed to happen to manipulate public opinion and blame protesters in an attempt to seize the moral high ground.

[34][35] Carrie Lam held a press conference at 4 am stating that she acknowledged the peaceful and orderly march, but condemned strongly the "violence and vandalism by protesters who stormed into the Legislative Council building".

[37] Nine days after the occupation, on 9 July, the government held a press conference during which Carrie Lam announced that the extradition bill was "dead".

Austin Ramzy from The New York Times stated that "the voices of restraint were quickly drowned out", as protesters and their supporters became increasingly tolerant to violent actions.

[39] Seven individuals were charged on 30 September for the unlawful intrusion, including Althea Suen, former president of the University of Hong Kong student union.

[40] Ma Kai-Chung, a reporter for localist online news portal Passion Times, was arraigned at Eastern Court on 3 October on one count of entering or remaining in the Legislative Council chamber on 1 July.

[40] Ma had been arrested on 30 September along with activist Ventus Lau and actor Gregory Wong and held under the charge of "conspiracy to criminal damage", as well as "entering or remaining in precincts of Chamber" under the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance.

[42] Police arrested a member of Demosisto for "conspiracy to commit criminal damage" and "entering or remaining in precincts of [the] Chamber" on 9 January 2020 at the Hong Kong International Airport.