Thousands of students formed human chains for a silent protest outside schools across Hong Kong Monday to show solidarity after another violent weekend of clashes during pro-democracy demonstrations in the semiautonomous Chinese territory.

Axar.az reports citing AP News that the big picture: The rally took place after the Hong Kong government condemned what it called "illegal behavior of radical protesters" and warned the U.S. to stay out of its affairs.

Thousands of Hong Kongers marched peacefully to the U.S. Consulate Sunday, calling on President Trump to "liberate" the former British colony. Clashes between police and protesters later erupted, with police firing tear gas at protesters.