Eight arrested as Hong Kong protesters besiege Mong Kok police station
Angry protesters confront officers after taking part in demonstration against 2017 reform plans
An angry mob besieged Mong Kok police station and set up barriers to block a main road outside the building in an overnight protest triggered by the police use of pepper spray to disperse crowds at an earlier demonstration against the government's political reform package.
A taxi which got stuck in traffic because of the road blockade was reportedly damaged by the mob during the overnight fracas. The protesters also allegedly threw a plastic water bottle at a TVB press car and shouted verbal abuse at the driver.
It was the most violent anti-government protest since the spate of so-called shopping protests petered out earlier this year in the wake of the Occupy sit-ins.
A total of eight men, aged 27 to 68, were arrested during the six-hour protest. One of those arrested is understood to be mainland activist Wang Dengyao, who was detained after failing to produce an identity document.
Wang, who claimed he had taken part in the 1989 democracy movement in Beijing, was also arrested in Hong Kong last December for taking part in the Occupy protests.
It is understood that he has since continued protesting, staying in a makeshift tent outside the government headquarters in Admiralty.
He complained that he felt unwell after he was arrested yesterday and was taken to Kwong Wah Hospital. His friends said he suffered from diabetes.
Minor scuffles broke out during a heated debate with some people who opposed them.
Police officers were called in but quickly found themselves losing control as they tried to take away two of the protesters. Some fellow protesters surrounded the policemen, preventing them from leaving. One even lay under a police vehicle to block it.
TV news footage showed a policeman waving his baton to keep the protesters at bay. Another officer was also seen using pepper spray. More police were brought in to control the situation.
Some 40 protesters later marched to Mong Kok police station, demanding the release of the arrested protesters. They shouted verbal abuse at officers outside the building, with some trying in vain to storm the main gates.
Officers armed with shields were sent to guard the building and stop the protesters from getting close.
At the same time, some angry protesters spilled out onto Prince Edward Road West outside the police station. They set up road barriers with rubbish bins and other objects, blocking traffic.
Policemen quickly dispersed the crowds and removed the barriers.
The mob did not disperse until after 5am.
Police arrested six people in the protest outside the police station. Five officers were injured.
In a statement, the Hong Kong Journalists Association urged the public to express its views in a rational manner and not obstruct the media.