People Power radicals disrupt Democratic Party’s Occupy Central event

The rift in the pro-democracy camp has widened, with Democrats accusing members of the radical People Power group of a "fascist" disruption of an event yesterday intended to support the Occupy Central movement.

Organisers of the civil disobedience movement said members of a group calling itself "Supporters of Occupy Central", which included People Power members, had nothing to do with them.

Another talking point was the no-show of the founding chairman of the Democratic Party, Martin Lee Chu-ming, at the event in Statue Square, Central.

Party members took an oath promising to join the campaign to block the financial centre in July if the government fails to deliver an acceptable method to elect the chief executive in 2017.

Their oath was greeted with waves of slogans from 30 protesters who accused them of betraying Hongkongers by not pledging to demand public nomination of candidates.

Scuffles broke out soon after, during which party chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing and former chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan were hit on the head with various objects, including a clothes hanger. They were not injured and there were no arrests.