Police use tear gas, pepper spray as Hong Kong Christmas protests turn ugly
- Tear gas, pepper spray used in Mong Kok and Sha Tin on Christmas Day as chaotic protests continue after previous night’s violence and vandalism
- City leader Carrie Lam expresses her frustration at the behaviour of radicals, accusing them of ruining Christmas Eve for locals and tourists
Defiant anti-government protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong and gathered in shopping centres again on Christmas Day, confronting police who used tear gas and pepper spray, after a previous night of mob violence and vandalism.
Officers were seen subduing protesters and taking them away at several flashpoints, including around 10 at New Town Plaza.
Riot police retreated to their vans as hundreds of protesters advanced towards them in Mong Kok’s Shanghai Street, and fired two rounds of tear gas at them at around 6.30pm without raising any warning flag.
“Such illegal acts have not only dampened the festive mood but also adversely affected local businesses,” she said in a Facebook post. “The government will try its utmost to uphold law and order, and restore peace in Hong Kong.”