Hong Kong protests: pepper spray used, at least 14 arrested in mall during national security law demonstration
- Protesters, aged 14 to 55, arrested for illegal assembly in the Yoho Mall shopping centre in Yuen Long, police say
- Trouble flares again in evening after two demonstrators are taken away by plain-clothes officers, who use pepper spray to keep small crowd at bay
The suspects, nine males and five females, aged 14 to 55, were arrested for illegal assembly, police said, after protesters marched around the Yoho Mall shopping centre in Yuen Long chanting slogans, which caused customers to flee and stores to close on what was a public holiday.
Trouble flared again in the evening after two protesters who were waving a colonial flag and chanting slogans in the mall’s atrium were taken away by plain-clothes officers, sparking the anger of a small group of demonstrators nearby.
The officers then fired pepper spray to keep the group at bay. Riot police quickly arrived to provide back up and also used pepper spray.
Beijing is drafting legislation for Hong Kong, which will ban secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign and external influences to threaten national security. The controversial law, of which only a broad outline has been revealed, could be passed as early as June 30.