HONG KONG — Fresh clashes broke out on the streets of Hong Kong on Friday after police attempted to clear one of the city's main pro-democracy protest camps. Officers had earlier rushed the encampment in the congested Mong Kok district in a pre-dawn raid, allowing traffic to travel in some streets for the first time in three weeks. But after work and class finished on Friday evening, police were once again in a standoff with demonstrators who tried to reclaim sections of the main thoroughfare.
Officers used baton charges, pepper spray and made several arrests, while protesters attempted to break through the lines, shielding themselves with umbrellas. Students chanted: "Open the road! Open the road!" causing a few police to lose their cool and talk back to the students. The blocked roads have also caused many locals to become furious as they cannot travel home. The pre-dawn raid came while many protesters were asleep in dozens of tents, according to a Reuters report.
IN-DEPTH
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SOCIAL
- Edmund Flanagan
Reuters contributed to this report.
