Violence Grips Hong Kong over the Weekend; Cathay Pacific Staffers Speak up about White Terror
NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Natalie Allen. Here are our top stories this hour. The U.S. President says he wants the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee questioned for fraud and treason. Donald Trump's attack on Adam Schiff comes as Democrats move forward with an impeachment inquiry. The President also says he wants to meet the whistleblower at the heart of the Ukraine scandal. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will not quit even if he doesn't secure a Brexit deal from the European Union. Opposition parties are trying to unite to force a no-confidence vote possibly this week in an effort to delay Brexit. Clothing retailer Forever 21, a fixture of shopping malls for more than three decades is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company says it will close as many as 178 of its more than 800 stores as part of a restructuring plan. Hong Kong protest organizers are canceling a march planned for Tuesday after police rejected their permit application. Lack of police permission does not always keep the crowds away as we have seen in their months' long fight for greater democracy. Tuesday is China's national day. The 70th anniversary of the country's communist government. Hong Kong is bracing for possible violence like we saw over the weekend.</s>ALLEN: Protesters hurled petrol bombs and bricks at police and blocked off the streets with fire and barricades. Officers responded as they do usually with tear gas and water cannons. Will Ripley was in the middle of the chaos.</s>WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Hong Kong riot police continue to move the frontline through the heart of this city to the area where protests began on Sunday, a very popular mall, the Sogo Mall, where protesters decided to gather despite the fact that their march was not authorized by police making any public assembly illegal here in Hong Kong and leading to a very quick police response including the water cannon right here that they've been using to fire the blue dye (ph). Let's get across the street here as we continue to kind of follow scenes that have been playing out -- familiar scenes and yet very violent and very disturbing for people in this city on this 17th consecutive weekend of protest and just two days before, the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the people's Republic of China. Tuesday October 1st is a day where Hong Kong police have made clear, any demonstrations are illegal. But that has not stopped these protesters from coming out here and promising to come out in larger numbers. This is some of the propaganda that they have all over the city. These signs where they've turned the Chinese flag into the Nazi emblem. They are saying these marches are anti-ChiNazi (ph) comparing the Chinese government with Nazi Germany. That is the anger, that is the fear that is fueling this hard core group of demonstrators -- the younger people, the radical protesters in the words of city officials who continue to come out in much smaller numbers but they're armed with petrol bombs. They are hurling bricks at officers and they are prepared for the tear gas and water cannons which inevitably come their way. And really, as we see this playing out weekend after weekend. No end in sight here in Hong Kong. I am Will Ripley, CNN.</s>ALLEN: During the past four and a half months of Hong Kong protests dozens of Cathay Pacific staffers have lost their jobs because they say they express support for the pro-democracy movement. CNN's Andrew Stevens speaks with employees feeling what they call the white terror.</s>ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rebecca Tsai (ph) worked as cabin crew at Cathay Dragon for 17 years. It was her first and only job.</s>REBECCA TSAI, CABIN CREW, CATHAY PACIFIC: I really love my job. To me it's very special.</s>STEVENS: On August 21, Rebecca was fired.</s>TSAI: They asked me only one question, does this Facebook belong to you. I said yes. They immediately say I'm sorry. I have to go for the process. Now or we announce that you're being terminated with immediate effect.</s>STEVENS: She SAYS she was never told why she was sacked.</s>TSAI: I was shocked, very disappointed, frustrated.</s>STEVENS: Rebecca has participated in some legal protests since a Facebook page did not violate the code of conduct -- Rebecca also represented about 2,000 Cathay Dragon Cabin crew in her union. Insists she had good relations with the company until the Hong Kong protest. Protests which forced the airport to close canceling hundred of Cathay flight. Cathay has crackdown on staff involved in demonstrations. The airline itself is under pressure from China -- its most important market. Beijing has banned any Cathay staff who are involved in protests from flying into China. The hardline from Cathay has had a chilling effect, say staff -- they call it white terror. This Cathay staff member who supports the protests spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In terms of the white, I would say it feels unsafe and uncertain.</s>STEVENS: Cathay recently revised its staff code of conduct which include posts on social media. Staff are told to speak up if they see a breach of the code. Employees tell CNN that dozens of workers have been fired. In response to CNN Cathay says they don't comment on specific cases. But that dismissals are always in strict accordance with the terms of their relevant employment contracts. They added that they required to follow regulations prescribed by the authorities in mainland China. There is no ground for compromise. And it's not just the airlines that are caught up in the protests.</s>LEE CHEUK YAN, HONG KONG FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS: It is also spreading to other sectors. It creates an atmosphere of fear among the workers that you have to be in line with the political stand of the company.</s>STEVENS: Many of Hong Kong's biggest companies, including its biggest bank HSBC are now publicly condemning the violent protests and calling for a peaceful resolution. But it's clear that the protests are moving from the streets to the offices and factories of Hong Kong. In this new less defined battle line, its freedom of speech is coming under threat. Andrew Stevens, CNN -- Hong Kong.</s>ALLEN: A royal surprise for students in Malawi -- the duchess of Sussex appears at a college via skype that is coming next.