Malls suffer third day of Xmas clashes
HONG KONG: Hong Kong endured a third straight day of political unrest over the Christmas period yesterday as police and pro-democracy protesters clashed inside shopping malls.
Protesters spent the afternoon marching through multiple malls chanting anti-government and antipolice slogans.
Riot police swooped on dozens of black-clad protesters in one mall in Tai Po district using pepper spray as well as blue dye to mark suspects. Police made multiple arrests. Hong Kong has been battered by more than six months of protests that has upended the financial hub’s reputation for stability and helped tip the city into recession.
The city’s many malls have become regular protest venues as demonstrators try to cause economic disruption and pressure the city’s pro-Beijing leadership.
The last month had seen a relative drop-off in violence and protests after pro-democracy candidates won a landslide at local elections.
But with Beijing and city leaders refusing further concessions, rallies and clashes have reignited over the Christmas period.
Christmas Eve saw some of the worst violence in weeks as protesters and police fought running battles for hours in a busy shopping district.
On Wednesday, Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam said violent protesters had “ruined” Christmas.
Protest groups counter that they have been left with little choice but to return to the streets because Beijing and Ms Lam continue to dig their heels in.
Swathes of the population are seething against Beijing’s rule and the semiautonomous city’s administration as they push for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability. Among demands being made by protesters are an inquiry into the police, amnesty for the more than 6,000 people arrested, and the right to elect Hong Kong’s leader.