HK protesters taken away, officers injured as violent scuffles break out

HONG KONG — Hong Kong riot police last night struggled to hold back hundreds of defiant pro-democracy activists who returned to a district that officers had partially cleared earlier yesterday.

Police used pepper spray and batons to fend off a huge crowd that had gathered in Mong Kok, and several protesters were seen knocked to the ground or carried away by police.

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.

Neither side appeared willing to back down as police and activists engaged in running clashes stretching into Saturday in the working class neighbourhood’s dense grid of streets.

In scenes repeated throughout Friday 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.

Police said three officers were injured. Dozens of protesters were taken away, though it was unclear how many were hurt.

The chaotic scenes unfolded hours after police had moved in to clear tents, canopies and barricades at Mong Kok, a smaller protest zone across Victoria Harbour from the main occupied area in the heart of the financial district.

Mong Kok’s protest zone had been home to a rowdier, more radical crowd less willing to follow student leaders, making it the most volatile of the three areas occupied since Sept 26 by Hong Kong democracy protesters.

The early-morning operation — the third in recent days by police to retake streets from protesters — took place as many protesters were asleep on the asphalt in dozens of tents or beneath giant, blue-striped tarpaulin sheets.

The raid was a gamble for the 28,000-strong police force in the Chinese-controlled city who have come under criticism for mounting aggressive clearance operations using tear gas, baton charges and a violent beating of a handcuffed protester by seven policemen on Wednesday.

Yesterday evening, with more protesters streaming to the area, the authorities closed the nearby underground train station, the media reported.

The police raised red flags, warning the protesters not to charge. The escalation in the confrontation illustrates the dilemma faced by the police in striking a balance between law enforcement and not inciting the defiant protesters who have been out for three weeks in three core shopping and government districts.

Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing leader Leung Chun-ying has said there is zero chance Beijing will give in to protesters’ demands, a view shared by many observers and Hong Kong citizens. He has also refused to step down.

China rules Hong Kong under a “one country, two systems” formula that gives the city wide-ranging autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China, with “universal suffrage” stated as the eventual aim.

It is concerned calls for democracy in Hong Kong and in the neighbouring former Portuguese colony of Macau, could spread to the mainland, threatening the party’s grip on power.

On Thursday, Mr Leung had sought to defuse the bitter stand-off with the protesters by reviving an offer of talks over democratic reforms in the city.

However, he warned that police would not refrain from clearing protest sites while holding talks.

The latest clashes were likely to make it harder to resolve the crisis with the protesters.

The Hong Kong Association of Banks called yesterday for an end to help Hong Kong preserve its competitiveness and maintain investor confidence. AGENCIES