Five arrested, pepper spray used as Hong Kong 'localists' clash with Putonghua singers

Police arrested five people and used pepper spray to try to disperse violent clashes in Mong Kok last night as localist demonstrators protested against a group of people singing in Putonghua, creating a fraught situation that quickly spun out of control when rival pro-Beijing demonstrators clashed with the localists.

Four men and one woman aged between 23 and 55 were arrested, police said, and one police officer was reported injured.

Dozens of anti-mainlander demonstraters targeted the musicians, who regularly assemble in the pedestrian area of Sai Yeung Choi Street South, accusing them of causing a nuisance.

"Localist" has become an umbrella term for radical groups defined by an anti-mainland sentiment and a desire to resist Beijing's influence over the city.

As word of the protest spread, rivals from patriotic groups arrived, and soon heated verbal arguments broke out, later escalating into physical clashes.

Scores of police officers had been standing ready for the protest by the localists, who had announced their intentions in advance. When the two sides began to clash, police deployed metal barricades as partitions to try to keep them apart.

The situation took a particularly violent turn when officers removed a man from the crowd and carried him into a police vehicle at about 8pm.