These pictures were taken amongst the rioting, looting, and
violence that took place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on July 1, 2008
in the evening between 6 and 10 pm. The rioters broke windows, set
fire to the People's Revolutionary Party headquarters building,
destroyed vehicles, threw rocks and liquor, and covered the
building in red paint. Police responded with a barrage of rubber
bullets, tear gas, and high pressure water. The measures taken by
police seemed to have little to no effect on the rioters for hours,
as wave upon wave descended upon the building. One rioter even
climbed to the top of the building and forcefully removed the party
flag from the top, flagpole and all, and threw it off the building.
Thousands of people were there, many simply watching, but as the
hours advanced, so did the rioters. They eventually set fire to the
entire building, drive a construction vehicle right in the front
door, and set fire to several nearby vehicles. Well into the late
hours of the night, the sounds of rubber bullets could be heard
across town amidst the dull orange glow of the fires and
perpetuated by the cheering of the rioters.
Tags:
mongolia,
riots,
riot,
communism,
communists,
ulaanbaatar,
ulaan,
bator,
politics,
political,
protests