Inside Mong Kok: Hong Kong’s simmering melting pot where passions can boil over
Gritty, tough and streetwise, the packed area that witnessed a 10-hour riot last week is the very antithesis of ‘high-brow’ Hong Kong Island
None of the Hongkongers who headed to Mong Kok on the first day of the Lunar New Year would have anticipated the events that unfolded.
Last Monday night should have been a festive occasion with people enjoying a traditional holiday experience – dining on local street delicacies prepared by hawkers.
But when their illicit trade on the bustling Portland Street, a notorious red light district, triggered shocking scenes of violence between police and radical “localist” supporters, the community was caught by surprise.
The unlicensed vendors had been taking part in a time-honoured tradition of being on the streets during new year, but tempers had flared when some of the crowd took umbrage at Food and Environmental Hygiene Department officers patrolling the area.
About 130 people, including 90 police officers, were injured and at least 65 people were arrested on rioting and other charges.
For Mong Kok it was a return to the international spotlight following the Occupy Central movement in late 2014 and the latest chapter in the history of this complex and vibrant part of Hong Kong.