Overnight violent clashes between a group of protesters and the police in Hong Kong have injured scores, raising questions about underlying tensions in the glitzy financial hub.
Late on Monday, in the neighbourhood of Mong Kok — a shopping district, which was one of the epicentres of student protests in 2014 — clashes broke out after police ordered illegal street food hawkers to disperse.
The quarrel apparently triggered a wave of violent clashes — after around 100 protesters melded into the fracas — which continued to smoulder, even in the early hours on Tuesday.
‘Not spontaneous’The police said the “rioting” was not spontaneous. It began on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year — a symbolically important date.
Besides, the protesters, apparently equipped with home-made shields, goggles, helmets and gloves, were well prepared for a long-haul clash.
The Hong Kong daily, South China Morning Post , is reporting that a “localist” group, known by the trademark T-shirts of its followers, was among the protesters, who confronted the police with glass bottles, flower pots and bricks.
The police responded with pepper spray, but as the violence spiralled, two shots were fired in the air.
The authorities say 48 policemen were injured in the back-and-forth on the streets during the night, in which protesters set alight the metal trash bins and ripped apart pavement stone to reinforce their attack.
Social media reports said those arrested included Leung Tin-kei, spokesman for “localist” group Hong Kong Indigenous (HKI). The HKI is an amalgamation of radical groups, known for their strong anti-mainland stance. Many seek full independence for Hong Kong, or wish to drastically restrict Beijing’s role in the city, governed under the ‘One country, two systems’ formula.
Nameless commoners“We are a group of nameless Hong Kong people who are on the frontline of protests. Since the old resistance methods have failed against the authorities, we have no choice but to stand out and break the stalemate,” read a statement posted on the HKI Facebook page.
Analysts say that unlike the failed 2014 “umbrella revolution” protests, which were mostly non-violent, and had the trappings of a “colour revolution”, the latest street action was smaller in scale, but violent in intent.
Consequently, Leung Chun-Ying, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, had no hesitation in branding the overnight protest as a “riot”, which needed to be addressed, not as a political problem, but as an administrative issue of restoring public-order.
“Any big city facing a similar nature of events would classify it as a riot, not just for the government but society as a whole,” Mr. Leung observed.
Though the police managed to contain the violence after six hours, the embers of the intense clashes were still aglow after daybreak.
On Tuesday morning, rubbish and debris were seen strewn on the streets, while the acrid smoke that hung in the air was a reminder of the intensity of the overnight violence.
For the authorities, the danger lies in a fusion of the remnants of the 2014 protesters and the HKI, which could lead to a protracted political tug-of-war that could be easily internationalised.
Yet, the Hong Kong government appeared confident. Despite the clashes, the authorities announced the traditional New Year fireworks display, which is likely to attract crowds of several thousand on Tuesday night, would go ahead. Mr. Leung warned protesters to stay away from the event.
