Calm Returns to Cleared Hong Kong Protest Site
Mong Kok Area Now Quiet After Overnight Clashes Between Police and Protesters
Pro-democracy protesters relax in the early hours of the morning on Saturday in Hong Kong. The streets of Mong Kok returned to quiet Saturday, after overnight clashes between police and protesters. Getty Images
By Isabella Steger Updated Nov. 28, 2014 11:33 p.m. ET
Hong Kong—The streets of Mong Kok returned to quiet Saturday, after overnight clashes between police and protesters in that area of Hong Kong, which earlier in the week had been cleared of a two-month-long demonstration site.
Police scuffled with hundreds of protesters who gathered in the area Friday night and early Saturday morning, resulting in 28 arrests and at least eight officers injured, according to the Hong Kong police.
Friday marked two months since police used tear gas against protesters who were demanding free elections for Hong Kong’s top official in 2017, rather than having to vote for Beijing’s prescreened candidates. The treatment of the protesters caused tens of thousands to rush out and occupy streets in three parts of Hong Kong, in addition to protesting the election. Two of those sites, Causeway Bay and Admiralty, remain occupied by protesters.
Crowds packed the shopping area of Sai Yeung Choi Street for the third night in a row, parallel to the originally occupied site on Nathan Road. Many shops on the street shut their doors. Police used pepper spray and charged into crowds with batons to disperse them, spreading protesters around the streets of Mong Kok in a cat-and-mouse chase throughout the night, a tactic some protesters term fluid occupation.
Police charge into a crowd of pro-democracy protesters after calling on them to disperse in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong on Nov. 29. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
“We want to make things difficult for police,” said King Siu, a 19-year-old student at Baptist University in Hong Kong. He said excessive violence by the police is one reason he continues to come out onto the streets, but he also hopes that another part of Mong Kok can be reoccupied.
Mr. Siu had gotten a bloody ear as he was standing at the front of the crowd when police charged and was injured.
Anger against the level of police force used in the operation to clear Mong Kok on Tuesday and Wednesday, particularly the use of batons, has galvanized some protesters to continue.
Police said that they have suspended an officer from taking part in “related operations” after complaints that he used excessive levels of force in Mong Kok on Tuesday night, without giving details about the officer. Police said they are “very concerned” about the incident.
More Coverage
* Protesters Consider Moving From Streets to Government Buildings
* Hong Kong Protest Site in Mong Kok Cleared
* Slideshow: Protesters Clash With Police
Meanwhile, at a rally at the main Admiralty protest site Friday night, Alex Chow, secretary-general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, one of the two main student protest groups, urged people to go to Admiralty on Sunday. He told people to bring supplies such as umbrellas, goggles and masks.
Facing an intransigent Hong Kong government, the protest movement has been losing momentum. Many are looking to the student groups and pro-democracy lawmakers for the next step, particularly as the prolonged occupation of roads continues to erode public support. Earlier this week, Yvonne Leung, a spokesperson for HKFS, said that the group is considering actions that could target government buildings, without elaborating.
A small, fringe group of protesters tried to break into the Legislative Council building last week by smashing windows, but failed. The move was condemned by some protesters for its lack of organization and consensus, while some deemed it too violent and in breach of the movement’s principles of “love and peace.”
--Biman Mukherji contributed to this article.
Write to Isabella Steger at isabella.steger@wsj.com
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