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Hong Kong protesters scuffle with opponents of pro-democracy campaign Hong Kong protesters scuffle with opponents of pro-democracy campaign
(about 7 hours later)
HONG KONG — Opponents of a week-long protest in Hong Kong stormed into demonstrators’ midst Friday, attacking them and pulling down their tents and barricades. HONG KONG — Opponents of a week-long pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong stormed into demonstrators’ midst Friday, attacking them and pulling down their tents and barricades in a sudden burst of violence that prompted protest groups to cancel planned talks with the government.
The violence injected fresh fear among student protesters as well as anger and suspicion at authorities’ delayed and tepid response and their seeming reluctance to arrest anti-protest attackers. The violence frightened demonstrators but also stirred anger among them at authorities’ slow response and seeming reluctance to arrest the attackers. The protesters accused the counter-demonstrators of being thugs sent by Hong Kong’s organized gangs, known as triads, and mainland Chinese authorities, who have opposed the protests and warned that their continuation would send Hong Kong into “chaos.”
The rapidly deepening mistrust could make confrontation between authorities and protesters more likely. And the clash reflects growing polarization throughout Hong Kong over the protesters’ occupation downtown, which has paralyzed major sections of the city. The rapidly deepening mistrust could make confrontation between authorities and protesters more likely. The clashes highlighted growing polarization in Hong Kong over the protesters’ downtown occupation, which has paralyzed major sections of the city.
Some protesters openly accused police of colluding with the attackers Friday, and organizers threatened to call off planned talks with the government. By the early hours of Saturday, the protesters appeared to have withstood the assault. In Mong Kok, the site of the worst violence, they reclaimed the Occupy camp they had been forced to abandon earlier in the day. Across the harbor on Hong Kong Island, thousands returned to the main protest site in Admiralty, bracing for what may come next.
It was unclear whether the simultaneous attacks at two separate camps Friday were a spontaneous expression of residents’ frustration with how the protest has paralyzed large swaths of the city, or whether they were sanctioned by pro-Beijing factions. It was unclear whether the simultaneous attacks at two camps were a spontaneous expression of residents’ frustration with how the protest has paralyzed large swaths of the city, or whether they were sanctioned by pro-Beijing factions. But many protesters said they were certain China had played a role.
But fueling protesters’ suspicions, some attackers were heard speaking with mainland accents, and according to witnesses, at least one was carrying a sign written in simplified characters used on the mainland but not in Hong Kong. “First they told us there would be chaos, and now they have made it happen,” said a demonstrator at one of the attacked sites who was willing to give only his last name, Fai, for fear of inviting attacks against him.
Protesters accused the counter-demonstrators of being thugs sent by Hong Kong’s triads and mainland Chinese authorities, who have opposed the protests and warned that their continuation would send Hong Kong into “chaos.” In the working-class neighborhood of Mong Kok, which has long been associated with triad gangs, student protesters were hemmed in on all sides by counter-protesters kept back only by a thin cordon of wildly outnumbered police.
“First they told us there would be chaos, and now they have made it happen,” said one demonstrator at one of the attacked sites, who was only willing to give his last name, Fai, for fear of inviting attacks against him. The Hong Kong Federation of Students, one of the main organizations behind the protests, said the “government and police have allowed triad members to violently attack peaceful occupiers,” and said it would pull out of proposed talks with Hong Kong’s government.
“The failure of police to stop or punish the violence is certainly feeding into perceptions that what happened is some sort of collusion,” said Maya Wang of the Human Rights Watch. The suspicions further undermined an already fragile situation. In a statement, the government urged protesters to leave the area as soon as possible and suggested that the entire protest movement end its occupation. Of those who attacked protesters, it only said they should “cooperate” with authorities.
In the working-class neighborhood Mong Kok, which has long been associated with triad gangs, student protesters were hemmed in on all sides by counter-protesters, who were kept back only by a thin cordon of wildly outnumbered police, who tried to separate the protesters from their opponents by holding hands and forming a human chain. While the size of the demonstrations has noticeably diminished in recent days, video of the violence in Mong Kok sent droves of supporters into the neighborhood. Hundreds crowded around the last standing protest tent to protect the remaining demonstrators and rebuff the attackers.
There were reports of female protesters groped by attackers. The Hong Kong Federation of Students, one of the main organizations behind the protests, said the “government and police have allowed triad members to violently attack peaceful occupiers,” and pulled out of talks with Hong Kong’s government aimed at resolving the students’ demands. “Go back to the mainland,” some shouted at the anti-protest crowd. “How much did they pay you to come out here?”
In a statement, the government urged protesters to leave the area as soon as possible and suggested that the entire protest movement end its occupation. Of those who attacked protesters, however, it only said they should “cooperate” with authorities. Thousands of demonstrators were still in Mong Kok by midnight, blocking the main intersection and perching atop entrances into the neighborhood’s subway station. Some swarmed the remaining protest opponents, shouting at police to arrest the “triads” and to not let them escape.
While the number of protesters has noticeably diminished in recent days, video of the violence in Mong Kok sent droves of protest supporters who were just getting off work into the neighborhood. Hundreds crowded around the last standing protest tent to protect the remaining demonstrators and rebuff the counter-protesters. By 3 a.m. in Mong Kok, the police had lifted a cordon around the ransacked Occupy camp and let protesters reclaim it.
“Go back to the mainland,” some shouted at the anti-protest crowd. “How much did they pay you to come out here?” “Protect the students!” The outburst of violence contrasted sharply with the preceding days of peaceful and, at times curiously polite, protest by students. Their demonstrations began late last week in opposition to plans for Chinese officials to vet candidates for elections in Hong Kong, a former British colony handed over to Beijing in 1997. The showdowns soon evolved into an ideological confrontation over whether Western-tilting Hong Kong should retain some degree of autonomy from the central government — a concession Beijing appears unwilling to make.
The sudden violence was in sharp contrast to several days of peaceful and at times curiously polite protest by students, some of whom appeared shaken by the experience. Friday was the first day many Hong Kong residents returned to work after a two-day holiday, although the central government closed its offices, telling workers to work from home. In the morning, student demonstrators were in the midst of negotiating a time and place to meet with the government’s envoy.
Protests flared late last week in opposition to plans for Chinese officials to vet candidates for elections in Hong Kong, which was handed over to Beijing in 1997. The showdowns soon evolved into a ideological confrontation over whether Western-looking Hong Kong should retain some degree of autonomy from the central government — a concession Beijing appears unwilling to make. Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying had told a late-night news conference Thursday that his government was willing to talk with the protesters but that he would not resign his post, a key demand of demonstrators.
Friday was the first day many Hong Kong residents returned to work after a two-day holiday, although the central government closed its offices, telling workers to work from home. Not long after the talks collapsed late Friday, crowds started to swell in Admiralty. While few faulted the student leaders for abandoning dialogue with a government they consider insincere, many admitted to not knowing what lies ahead. Some said they feared that the best chance for victory was now lost.
Police spokesman Kong Man-keung said police had been asking the crowd to leave over the past few days, but to no avail, according to the South China Morning Post. He said that suggestions that “police [are] letting criminals off the hook” were groundless. “People here are quite pragmatic and sensible,” said Arthur Lo, a 20-year-old volunteer, sitting in the occupied courtyard of Hong Kong’s main legislative assembly. “They know now that not much can realistically be won. A lot of people are a bit scared about what’s coming.”
Student demonstrators were in the midst of negotiating when and where to meet with the government’s envoy. Leung had told a late-night news conference Thursday that his government was willing to talk with the protesters but that he would not be resigning his post, a key demand of demonstrators. As if on cue, word spread through announcements on megaphones that a column of police officers was advancing on the camp around 2 a.m. The protesters sprung up and donned rain gear and protective clothing. Volunteers ran frantically, distributing goggles and gas masks. Some students began wrapping their faces with plastic wrap. It proved to be a false alarm. A few protesters grumbled that the scare was a deliberate ploy by the Hong Kong government to keep them rattled.
Daniela Deane in Rome, Brian Murphy in Washington and Xu Jing in Beijing contributed to this report.Daniela Deane in Rome, Brian Murphy in Washington and Xu Jing in Beijing contributed to this report.