Carrie Lam vowed to heal divisions when she became Hong Kong's leader, but her tenure has thrust the financial hub into unprecedented turmoil, sparking huge protests that saw parliament ransacked and leaving the city more divided than ever.

The 62-year-old devout Catholic took over in March 2017, but was not popularly elected.

Hong Kong's leaders are instead chosen by a 1,200 strong committee stacked with Beijing loyalists, and Lam secured 777 votes -- becoming the first woman elevated to the city's top job.

In her acceptance speech she vowed to be more responsive to the city's youngsters, who have been at the forefront of a campaign for greater democratic freedoms and measures to combat rising inequality.

"Hong Kong, our home, is suffering from quite a serious divisiveness and has accumulated a lot of frustrations," she said in her acceptance speech.

"My priority will be to heal the divide."

Two years on, Hong Kong is more polarised than at any time in its recent history following three weeks of massive anti-government rallies.

Then on Monday night -- the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China -- thousands of mostly young protesters rampaged through parliament, scrawling graffiti on its walls, defacing portraits of pro-Beijing lawmakers, and tearing up the city's constitution.

When Lam emerged in the early hours of Tuesday morning -- once police had taken back control of the building -- she sent a stern message to the radicals, condemning "the extreme use of violence" and urging respect for the rule of law.

- 'Several years of injustice' -

Critics say the blame for the unrest lies with Lam, who has refused to make any major concessions to the huge protests.

"I think the chief executive and her governing team should ask themselves: what has led to this degree of violence?" Anson Chan, Hong Kong's chief secretary during the handover, said Tuesday.

"It is a combination of several years of injustice... (and) a government that listens only to the pro-Beijing party and ignores the rest of Hong Kong people," she told reporters.

The immediate spark for the current protests was a push by Lam to fast track a bill allowing extraditions to mainland China -- a proposal she has since postponed, but not permanently abandoned.

But the rallies also reflected years of anger over how the city is run by its pro-Beijing administrators.

When she took office, Lam was already loathed by the city's pro-democracy camp because she had been deputy to her deeply unpopular predecessor, CY Leung, during the failed 2014 Umbrella Movement protests calling for universal suffrage.

Born into a low-income family, Lam excelled both at her Catholic school and university.

She began her career in the colonial civil service and rose through the ranks in the post-handover period, earning herself a reputation for being a fighter and committed Beijing loyalist.

- Cruel nicknames -

During the 2014 pro-democracy protests she was often the face of the government, debating student leaders and insisting their demands to directly elect the city's leader would not be met.

When she won the top job three years later, she said she hoped to leave behind the political rancour of that period.

The rhetoric of Hong Kong's political scene is often unforgiving, and Lam has long faced unflattering -- and often misogynistic -- insults.

One of her nicknames -- a pun on her family name -- was "lai-ma" or wet nurse, a jibe over what her opponents said was a fawning loyalty towards her former boss Leung.

After her appointment, detractors dubbed her "777" -- both a reference to the number of votes she secured but also a cruel pun given the word for seven in Cantonese sounds very close to a slang term for male genitalia.

Throughout her time in the public eye, Lam has been at pains to communicate a steely resolve and confidence in her ability to steer Hong Kong.

"If mainstream opinion makes me no longer able to continue the job as chief executive, I'll resign," she declared at an election debate.

Two years on, Lam's reputation is in tatters and her approval ratings at a record low, even after she agreed to suspend the controversial extradition bill and issued an apology for misjudging the public mood.

But few expect Lam to step down -- her departure would be a huge loss of face to China.

Hong Kong grapples with protest aftermath as China demands criminal probe
Hong Kong (AFP) July 2, 2019 - Hong Kong on Tuesday grappled with the aftermath of unprecedented anti-government protests which saw parliament ransacked, as Beijing called for a criminal probe into the unparalleled challenge to its authority.

The semi-autonomous financial hub has been thrown into crisis by weeks of demonstrations over a bill that would allow extraditions to the Chinese mainland, with the issue becoming a lightning rod for resentment towards Beijing.

On Monday -- the 22nd anniversary of the city's handover to China -- anger spilt over as groups of mostly young, hardline protesters, breached the Legislative Council.

They hung the city's colonial-era flag in the debating chamber, scrawled messages such as "Hong Kong is not China" on walls, and defaced the city's seal with spray-paint.

Police charged into the building shortly after midnight to retake control.

The events pose an unprecedented challenge to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and on Tuesday, Beijing wasted no time in asking Hong Kong to investigate the "criminal responsibility of violent offenders" for "serious illegal actions".

It also rebuked Donald Trump for interfering in the city's affairs, after the US president said the protesters were "looking for democracy" but "some governments don't want democracy" -- an apparent swipe at Beijing.

Hong Kong has been rocked by massive protests over the past three weeks. The rallies -- including a huge pro-democracy march on Monday -- have been largely peaceful while calling on the city's Beijing-appointed chief executive Carrie Lam to resign.

But they have failed to win concessions.

Lam has refused to permanently shelve the extradition law or step down. By Monday, some hardline protesters appeared to have reached breaking point, and stormed the legislature.

- 'Tyranny and imperial rule' -

Lam -- whose approval ratings are at a record low -- condemned "the extreme use of violence", describing the vandalism as "heartbreaking and shocking".

The legislature was closed Tuesday as police collected evidence from the debris-strewn building, while workers swept surrounding areas littered with shattered glass, broken umbrellas and hard hats.

Pro-democracy lawmaker Eddie Chu, who was stopped from entering his office, said police told him the building was "a crime scene".

Legislative council president Andrew Leung, whose portrait was among those defaced by protesters, said major meetings were now cancelled until October.

"Our security systems, our fire services, our lifts... need to be tested before we can resume any meetings," the pro-Beijing politician said.

Under the terms of the 1997 handover from British to Chinese rule, Hong Kong enjoys rights and liberties unseen on the mainland. But protesters accuse Beijing of reneging on that deal with the help of unelected leaders.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned China of "serious consequences" if it breaches that bilateral handover agreement.

Activist Joshua Wong, who was the face of the city's 2014 pro-democracy demonstrations, told reporters the protests were a response to "the tyranny... (and) imperial rule of Beijing and the Hong Kong government".

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen voiced support for pro-democracy demonstrators.

"As President of a country that walked the long road to democracy, I urge the #HongKong government to address the legitimate concerns of the people & their pursuit of freedom & democracy," she tweeted.

- 'Gentle hearts' -

Chinese state media have dismissed the protests as "mob violence".

"A zero-tolerance policy is the only remedy for such destructive behaviour", the Global Times daily wrote in an editorial.

The official Xinhua news agency, in a commentary, said the acts "trampled the rule of law in Hong Kong," and the offenders "must be severely punished" in accordance with the law.

Analysts said the chaotic scenes showing demonstrators tearing down portraits and spraying graffiti signalled a dangerous turn.

"The gestures were meant to provoke the Chinese authorities", said political analyst Joseph Cheng.

"They are gestures of defiance rather than a genuine political action," he said, warning they would likely "be seized upon by Beijing and by the Carrie Lam administration as justification for a crackdown".

The increasingly hardline tactics have divided Hong Kongers.

Brokerage executive Chris Cheung told AFP Monday's protest was "unwise and unnecessary".

"Violence can't change the people's attitude, only reason will," he said.

But clean-up volunteer Blue Wong said she was "angry with the government for pushing the young generation to such a stage.

"I won't criticise or judge the youngsters. Even though their actions are violent, their hearts are gentle", she said.

"They are fighting for a better Hong Kong."

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