Religious leaders in Hong Kong have urged protesters angry over an extradition Bill to refrain from violence after the Legislative Council building was ransacked on Monday. 

The city's parliament building was stormed by protesters and vandalised following weeks of protests over the Bill that would see Hong Kong citizens potentially extradited to the mainland for trial.

Protesters view the Bill as an unwelcome encroachment on the independence of Hong Kong, a Special Autonomous Region that came into being after the British handover in 1997 on the princple of 'one country, two systems'. 

In a letter published in Chinese, faith leaders called on all sides to pursue peace and prioritise the wellbeing of the city and its people. 

"We call on the people of Hong Kong to boycott any act that undermines the law and harms peace, and any violence that harms others, and we call on all to express their views in a self-denying, rational and peaceful manner," the letter reads.

"We call on the government and people with different positions and opinions to lay down their attachments, carefully reflect on their views, listen to the voices of others, and establish effective communication channels as soon as possible, and communicate in a sincere manner.

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"We believe that any protest should not be contrary to the wellbeing of the people of Hong Kong.  Hong Kong is our homeland.  Insisting on our different viewpoints will only tear the fabric of society. It will not help solve the current situation and goes against the wellbeing of the people of Hong Kong.

"We hope that society will be cautious and considerate, with a wise, inclusive and respectful heart, and re-start on the basis of communication and understanding, self-discipline and respect for the person, in seeking the common welfare of the people of Hong Kong. Let Hong Kong return to the path of peaceful communion."

The letter was signed by Pastor Su Chengyi, Chairman of the Hong Kong Christian Association, and Hong Kong Catholic leader Cardinal John Tong Hon. 

China has condemned the violence, calling it an "undisguised challenge" to the 'one country, two systems' formula.

Britain, on the other hand, has warned China of serious consequences if Hong Kong's rights are not honoured.

"The UK signed an internationally binding legal agreement in 1984 that enshrines the 'one country, two systems rule', enshrines the basic freedoms of the people of Hong Kong and we stand four square behind that agreement, four square behind the people of Hong Kong," said Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said.

St John's Cathedral has published this prayer for the city: