EU urges all sides 'show restraint' in Hong Kong clashes

• The European Union called Tuesday on all sides involved in the still raging Hong Kong clashes to show restraint.
• The EU also called for a "comprehensive inquiry into the violence.
• A call by the EU last month for de-escalation in Hong Kong met at the time with a vitriolic.

BRUSSELS: The European Union called Tuesday on all sides involved in the still raging Hong Kong clashes to show restraint and said a swift end to violence was paramount.

"It is crucial that all sides exercise restraint," EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said in a statement as protesters and riot police paralysed the city's business district.

"The far-reaching impact of the situation on lives and livelihoods in the territory makes a credible and swift solution to the unrest imperative," she added.

The EU also called for a "comprehensive inquiry into the violence, use of force and the root causes of the protests" that would be "a critical element in de-escalation efforts."

The spokeswoman said the EU "attaches great importance to the high degree of autonomy vested in Hong Kong in the framework of 'one country, two systems'" that sets the city apart politically from mainland China.

A call by the EU last month for de-escalation in Hong Kong met at the time with a vitriolic response by Beijing which accused Brussels of having "publicly glorified the abuses of rioters".