HK cops arrest 26 amid street clashes

HONG KONG — Hong Kong riot police battled with thousands of pro-democracy protesters for control of the city’s streets on Saturday, using pepper spray and batons to hold back defiant activists who returned to a protest zone that officers had partially cleared.

Police and activists engaged in running clashes in Mong Kok’s dense grid of streets, scuffling for hours.

Several protesters were seen knocked to the ground, and dozens were carried or taken away by police.

Unruly protesters

The government said some 9,000 people gathered at the scene, repeatedly charging police lines in an attempt to retake roads. Authorities said police arrested 26 people. Protesters are pressing for a greater say in choosing the semiautonomous Chinese city’s leader in an inaugural direct election, promised for 2017.

Students and activists oppose Beijing’s ruling that a committee stacked with pro-Beijing elites should screen candidates in the election.

That effectively means that Beijing can vet candidates before they go to a public vote.

One protester was seen bleeding from his forehead as he was carried to a police van, moments after he was forced to the ground by officers.

Batons vs. umbrellas

In scenes repeated throughout the evening, officers used batons to beat back umbrellas used by the crowd of young protesters to defend themselves from pepper spray.

“The police have lost control. They are beating up protesters like we’re animals. We are angry. The students are our future,” said Tommy Lee, a 45-year-old technology worker who was outraged at seeing police handcuff four protesters who appeared to be high school students.

Also detained was Bangkok-based Getty photojournalist Paula Bronstein, who was hauled away by police for standing on the hood of a Mercedes-Benz amid the melee.