Hong Kong Police Clash With Protesters in Lunar New Year Riots
Mong Kok in chaos following clearance of unlicensed food hawkers
Police fired warning shots into the air to disperse protesters as Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district descended into chaos Tuesday after authorities attempted to crack down on unlicensed food hawkers. Photo: Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images.
HONG KONG—Hong Kong’s Lunar New Year celebrations descended into chaos as protesters and police, who fired warning shots into the air, clashed in a street market selling fish balls and other local holiday delicacies, leaving dozens injured and arrested.
The violence is the worst in Hong Kong since pro-democracy protests rocked the city in 2014, leaving a growing trust gap between the public and authorities.
Activists angered over authorities’ attempts to crack down on the food hawkers in a crowded Kowloon neighborhood held running battles with police into Tuesday’s early morning hours.
Protesters pelted officers with bottles and pieces of trash. Some threw garbage cans, plastic safety barriers and wood from shipping pallets. They also set fires on the street.
Hong Kong Riots: Police Fire Warning Shots in Clash With Protesters
Lunar New Year celebrations turned into chaos as police clashed with illegal street food vendors
Later Tuesday, Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said a mob attacked police officers and journalists. He added that the perpetrators would be prosecuted. More than 80 officers and four reporters were hurt, he said.
Police cars and public property were damaged, fires were started and bricks and other objects were thrown at police officers—including those already injured and lying on the ground—Mr. Leung said.
“I believe the public can see for themselves from TV news reports the seriousness of the situation. The [Hong Kong] government strongly condemns such violent acts. The police will apprehend the mobs and bring them to justice,” Mr. Leung said.
A policeman pointed his handgun during clashes in Hong Kong’s busy Mong Kok district on Tuesday. PHOTO: REUTERS/E WEEKLY/FU CHUN-WAI
Officials said they were investigating whether the violence had been organized in advance.
At one point, a protester tried to tackle a traffic police officer from behind before both sides rushed into the melee in the middle of a busy street, according to footage shown on local news channel Cable TV. Moments later, another officer appeared to fire one or two warning shots into the air.
In a statement, Hong Kong police said the protesters ignored their warnings to leave the street and also shoved officers, who responded with batons and pepper spray.
Acting District Commander Yau Siu-kei said 23 men and one woman were arrested on suspicion of assaulting and obstructing officers, resisting arrest and public disorder. The arrested were as young as 17 and as old as 70. Police said 48 officers were hurt by glass and flying objects and confirmed that two warnings shots were fired.
The unrest started when authorities tried to prevent unlicensed street food sellers from operating on Monday night in Mong Kok, a working-class district. The hawkers and their food are a local Lunar New Year tradition, but this year authorities tried to remove them.
The hawkers were backed by activists who objected to the crackdown over concerns that Hong Kong’s local culture is disappearing as Beijing tightens its hold on the semiautonomous city.
The latest scuffles underscore how tensions remain unresolved more than a year after the end of pro-democracy protests that gripped the city. Mong Kok, a popular and densely populated shopping and entertainment district, was one of the neighborhoods where activists occupied streets for about 11 weeks in late 2014 todemand greater electoral freedom.
