Hong Kong’s New Year night of ‘rioting’ leaves Mong Kok in lockdown

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One of Hong Kong’s busiest districts is in virtual lockdown this morning after a night of violence which saw the police open fire with two ‘’warning shots’’ as protesters launched missiles and set fires as a crackdown on illegal street food hawkers escalated into what some witnesses described as a ‘riot’.
Mong Kok, the scene of some of the worst unrest during the Occupy protests in 2014 , remains tense as unidentified protesters - a signficant number of them so-called ‘localists’ who campaign for varying degrees of independence for Hong Kong - launching sporadic brick and bottle attacks on police and the police responding with pepper spray. A number of fires are also reported to be burning in the area surrounding Shantung and Soy Streets and the government has advised motorists to steer clear of the area.
Crusade Yau Siu-kei, deputy Mong Kok district commander, confirmed this morning officers fired two warning shots during the “riot”.
“Radical elements have come with self-made weapons and shields and clashed with police,” Yau said. “The situation ran out of control and became a riot.”
He said the “mob” continued to throw bricks, rubbish bins and glass bottles at a close distance, resulting in many officers getting d and their heads bloodied. Forty-four officers were injured, and some were in coma.
At least four journalists were reported injured, including one from TVB, Mingpao, RTHK and a cameraman from Cable TV.








News›Hong Kong›Law & Crime




PROTEST




Hong Kong street hawker protest ends in riot: Mong Kok locked down as shots fired, police attacked with bricks and bottles

Police: radical elements with makeshift weapons and shields set fires in riot





PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 09 February, 2016, 1:37am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 09 February, 2016, 11:48am


Chris Lau, Danny Lee, Joyce Ng and Clifford Lo







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Small fires were started in several street in Mong Kok. Photo: Edward Wong




One of Hong Kong’s busiest districts was in virtual lockdown this morning after a night of violence which saw the police open fire with two “warning shots” as protesters launched missiles and set fires as a crackdown on illegal street food hawkers escalated into what some witnesses described as a ‘riot’.
Hong Kong’s government “strongly condemned” the protesters.
Mong Kok, the scene of some of the worst unrest during the Occupy protests in 2014 , remains tense as unidentified protesters – a signficant number of them so-called ‘localists’ who campaign for varying degrees of independence for Hong Kong – launching sporadic brick and bottle attacks on police, who retaliated with pepper spray.
Fires were also reported to have been lit in the area surrounding Shantung and Soy Streets. The government has advised motorists to avoid the area.
Police have labelled the escalations last night a riot. Photo: Edward Wong
In brief:

• Mong Kok streets in riot
• Health inspector crackdown on hawkers preceded riot
• Protest began about 10pm, riot started around 2am
• Hong Kong Indigenous group believed to be linked to protest
• 23 arrested, 48 officers injured
• Four journalists injured, some claim to have been hurt from police batons
• More than 100 rioters counted
• Mong Kok MTR closed until late morning

Casualties

Crusade Yau Siu-kei, deputy Mong Kok district commander, confirmed this morning officers fired two warning shots during the “riot”.
“Radical elements have come with self-made weapons and shields and clashed with police,” Yau said. “The situation ran out of control and became a riot.”
He said the “mob” continued to throw bricks, rubbish bins and glass bottles at a close distance.
Police said 48 police officers were reported injured, with glass and hard objects deemed the likely weapons.
Police arrested 23 men and a woman, on charges including assaulting police, resisting arrest, disorder in public place and obstructing a police officer.
At least four journalists were reported injured, including those from TVB, Ming Pao, RTHK and a cameraman from Cable TV.
Police clashed with protestors last night in Mong Kong. Photo: Edward Wong
“Warning shots”

The two warning shots were fired by an unspecified number of officers at 2am, Yau said. “Because many rioters were attacking police with hard objects and seriously threatened their lives, there was no choice but to protect colleagues” and own safety, he added.
A police source said: “Officers were under attack and a police officer fired two shots into the air’’ adding that protesters were “rioters” and trouble makers. Later, an officials statement from the police said officers had taken ‘’resolute action’’
Shortly before gunshots were fired, pallets and rocks were hurled at a team of traffic police officers. A senior constable was hit with a pallet, causing him to fall to the ground. He said he felt dizzy but some protestors continued charging him and hurled rocks at him.
Protestors and police in front of a Mong Kok McDonald’s. Photo: Edward Wong
Police have not ruled out the notion the riot was “organised”, he said, noting that protesters arranged vehicles to transport equipment. Police will continue the investigation.
The source added that protestors seemed prepared,being well equipped with home-made shields, goggles, helmets and gloves.
Police hosing protestor. Photo: Edward Wong
Social media reports said among those arrested was Legislative Council election hopeful, Edward Leung Tin-kei, spokesman for localist group Hong Kong Indigenous. There were also unconfirmed reports that the new editor-in-chief of The Undergrad, a student magazine of the University of Hong Kong, was also arrested.


Early this morning

At least one group of 100 protesters were engaged in skirmishes with the police. Eye-witnesses said paving stones were being ripped up and some objects were being hurled at officers.
At 6am the police released a statement which said: “Police reiterate that any acts endangering public order and public safety will not be tolerated. The Hong Kong community regard that the public should express their views in a rational and peaceful manner. Police will take enforcement actions decisively on law-breaking behaviours.”


Trouble first flared shortly after 2am when what had begun as a protest by angry food hawkers in Portland Street who had been targeted in a food and hygiene crackdown, spiralled out of control.
A TVB video showed the moment police drew guns on protesters and fired two warning shots into the air on Argyle Street around 2am. An SCMP reporter on the scene also witnessed and heard two shots fired from a gun.
Bricks broken in half then thrown at police officers. Photo: Chris Lau
Student Julia Fung described the night as shocking, but said she was more afraid of the police than the riot.
The student said when she was taking a picture of a girl being pinned down to the floor she was hit by a police baton to her back.
You can feel rage in the police officers’ eyes
Julia Feng
“You can feel rage in the police officers’ eyes towards the protesters,” she said
She said protesters had become more radical due to a ramp-up in government heavy-handedness using the example that a fracas occurred over hawkers selling fish ball on the street.
“Not only were batons and pepper spray used ... police were firing gun shots,” she said.
She said the relationship between police and the people had hit a new low.


How it happened – overnight coverage from our team in Mong Kok

More than a hundred people were involved in the riot, gathering at different points and setting fire to rubbish bins in the streets, he said.
Both lanes on Nathan Road were blocked from south of Argyle Street. Police warned they would use “appropriate force” while asking and pushing people to move to the footpath.
With volleys of objects, notably bricks and other objects, injuries were likely sustained on both sides.
Protestors were also seen trying to push over a minibus-stop sign.
Radical group, PassionTimes, posted a video to their Facebook page of police hitting a woman, causing bruising and bleeding.


The night’s violent clashes unfolded around 10pm on the first day of Chinese New year when police attempted to clear Portland Street as part of a city-wide clampdown on hawkers. The crowd reacted by throwing glass bottles and flower pots and police used pepper spray at one point.
The commotion broke out at about midnight early Tuesday when police put on protective gear, including helmets and shields, to fend off the unhappy crowd that flung objects at them. A standoff ensued.
Police source said shots fired into air were justified as they felt their lives at risk. Photo: Edward Wong
Hong Kong Indigenous, a localist group that is fielding a candidate in a Legislative Council by-election in three weeks, is involved in the protest.
The candidate Edward Leung Tin-kei has been arrested, according to a Facebook post by the group at 2.16am.
Shortly after midnight-and about three hours after the chaos broke out, the group announced on Facebook that it would “exercise” Leung’s “power” as an election candidate to hold an election march in the Mong Kok night market. The group said they would not need to notify the police because the number of marchers would be less than 30.
A protestor on the ground. Photo: Edward Wong
It called on people to go out in support and bring along eye masks, face masks and protective gear.
Before Leung’s arrest, he was seen standing in the front of the crowd shouting slogans through a loudspeaker. Some protesters were wearing the group’s blue tracksuits with its name printed.
Before Leung’s arrest, he was seen standing in the front of the crowd shouting slogans through a loudspeaker. Some protesters were wearing the group’s blue tracksuits with its name printed.
In a police statement released at 3.23am, it “strongly condemned” the clashes in Mong Kok.
The night’s violent clashes unfolded around 10pm on the first day of Chinese New year when police attempted to clear Portland Street as part of a city-wide clampdown on hawkers. The crowd reacted by throwing glass bottles and flower pots and police used pepper spray at one point.


The police defended its handling of the chaotic scenes for which it took “resolute actions” including the deployment of batons, pepper spray to stop “unlawful violence acts.” However, it also failed to draw reference to the two warning gunshot fired earlier tonight.
An hour earlier, a police spokesman said they had “no information” on gunshots fired in Mong Kok at present.
In the police’s narrative of the chaotic scenes, it said protesters were causing “serious disturbances to public safety” and other road users prompting police intervention.
The police vowed “resolute enforcement actions will be taken against any illegal acts to preserve public order and safeguard public safety.”
Crowds at a standoff with police force in Mong Kok. Photo: Chris Lau
The dispute escalated when police attempted to push a portable ladder towards the crowd, which appeared to perceive it as a threat of clearance.
Earlier, the police engaged in another standoff with the crowds as they tried to block a taxi that was passing through, in retaliation at the clearance of the vendors. Police came back later after a withdrawal.
A hectic start to the Year of the Monkey. Photo: Chris Lau
“It was good in the beginning. I was chatting with the police,” said a man identified as Kam, who was hit with the spray. He declined to reveal his identity.
“They suddenly sprayed my face even though I told them I just wanted to go,” said Kam, who was stuck between the police and crowd at the time.
Another woman, Esther Yip Hoi-wan, from activist group 80s Momentum, said her friends were arrested.
She said it was very dangerous for the police to carry out such operations as there were hawkers’ trolley filled with hot food on the street.
Chaos on the streets of Mong Kok on the first night of the Year of the Monkey. Photo: Edward Wong


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