This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/29/world/asia/clashes-in-hong-kong-as-protesters-return-to-cleared-camp.html

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Clashes in Hong Kong as Protesters Return to Cleared Camp Hong Kong Clashes Flare as Protesters Return to Camp
(about 7 hours later)
HONG KONG — Clashes between the police and protesters flared in a crowded shopping district of Hong Kong on Friday night, days after the police dismantled a pro-democracy camp there. HONG KONG — Clashes between the police and protesters flared in a crowded shopping district of Hong Kong on Friday night, days after the police dismantled a pro-democracy camp there.
But each of the four nights since that clearance started, protesters have returned to the Mong Kok neighborhood on the north side of the city, which is crammed with shops, restaurants and bars. Many protesters said they were angry about police methods on top of their demand for the fully democratic election of Hong Kong’s leader.But each of the four nights since that clearance started, protesters have returned to the Mong Kok neighborhood on the north side of the city, which is crammed with shops, restaurants and bars. Many protesters said they were angry about police methods on top of their demand for the fully democratic election of Hong Kong’s leader.
“People came out because they’re angry with the police,” said Ben W. S. Lee, a 37-year-old teacher in the crowd. “I’ve lost all my trust in the police, because they’ve used excessive force on Hong Kong people in the past few days.” “People came out because they’re angry with the police,” said Ben W. S. Lee, a 37-year-old teacher in the crowd. “I’ve lost all my trust in the police because they’ve used excessive force on Hong Kong people in the past few days.”
The protesters at first engaged in boisterous chanting, and many shouted that they were merely returning to shop in Mong Kok, as the head of the Hong Kong government, Leung Chun-ying, has urged people to do. But around midnight the mood turned tense, and a confrontation erupted after hundreds of demonstrators tried to burst through a police cordon on Argyle Street, which had been part of the cleared protest camp.The protesters at first engaged in boisterous chanting, and many shouted that they were merely returning to shop in Mong Kok, as the head of the Hong Kong government, Leung Chun-ying, has urged people to do. But around midnight the mood turned tense, and a confrontation erupted after hundreds of demonstrators tried to burst through a police cordon on Argyle Street, which had been part of the cleared protest camp.
As the number of protesters in the standoff grew, police officers warned them to disperse. When that failed, officers squirted pepper spray at the front ranks of protesters, who tried to protect themselves with umbrellas, and then pushed into the crowd with batons, tossing aside umbrellas and dragging away some protesters. Some people were taken away by ambulances.As the number of protesters in the standoff grew, police officers warned them to disperse. When that failed, officers squirted pepper spray at the front ranks of protesters, who tried to protect themselves with umbrellas, and then pushed into the crowd with batons, tossing aside umbrellas and dragging away some protesters. Some people were taken away by ambulances.
In the early hours of Saturday, groups of protesters scattered into nearby streets and continued testing the police by hurling insults, demanding the release of arrested people and crossing intersections with exaggerated slowness.In the early hours of Saturday, groups of protesters scattered into nearby streets and continued testing the police by hurling insults, demanding the release of arrested people and crossing intersections with exaggerated slowness.
Since thousands of people extended protests to major streets across Hong Kong on Sept. 28, the demonstrators have become frayed by disputes over how aggressively to confront the government and by sheer exhaustion after weeks spent in tent cities on roads.  Later, protesters walked through nearby neighborhoods and chanted until dawn. The police said on Saturday that they had arrested 28 people in Mong Kok over the previous night on charges that included illegal assembly and obstructing the police. 
But protest supporters have voiced hope that the loss of Mong Kok and anger over heavy-handed policing will revive the resolve of demonstrators. This weekend will offer a gauge of how much support they can call out. Two other parts of the city remain held by protesters: a slice of street at Causeway Bay, a busy retail precinct; and a major roadway at Admiralty, near the government offices. Eight police officers were injured in the confrontations, Radio Television Hong Kong reported on its website, citing the police. The report did not say how many protesters were hurt. Since thousands of people extended protests to major streets across Hong Kong on Sept. 28, the demonstrators have become frayed by disputes over how aggressively to confront the government and by sheer exhaustion after weeks spent in tent cities.
The Hong Kong Federation of Students, a leading group in the protests that has resisted calls for escalation, urged supporters to turn out in a show of strength at Admiralty on Sunday, more than two months since the street occupations started. But protest supporters have voiced hope that the loss of Mong Kok and anger over heavy-handed policing will revive the demonstrators. This weekend will offer a gauge of how much support they can call out. Two other parts of the city remain held by protesters: a slice of street at Causeway Bay, a busy retail precinct; and a major roadway at Admiralty, near the government offices.
Mong Kok has been a battleground between the police and protesters who favor an intransigent, populist politics. The police nearly cleared out the protesters in mid-October but were forced into retreat by thousands of demonstrators who turned out on a Friday night.
“The message we want to send is that as long as our political problem remains unresolved, the police’s crackdown will make us only more determined,” said Tom Chow, a building company owner among the protesters.