Occupy co-founder 'saddened' by Mong Kok clashes; warns against expanding protest zones
Chan Kin-man blames government inaction on sincere dialogue with students for the flare-up in tensions
Occupy Central co-founder Dr Chan Kin-man said he was saddened by the clashes overnight in Mong Kok and criticised the police for “arousing conflict”.
“Many Hongkongers are saddened by what happened in Mong Kok,” he said on Saturday. “We don’t want policemen and young people to get hurt because this is not a public order problem, it’s a political problem ... It’s a problem with the government’s response and should be solved by political means.”
At least 26 people were arrested after the violence erupted in the later hours between Friday evening and Saturday morning, which saw officers use pepper spray and batons to push back demonstrators.
Thousands of people – police estimated 9,000 – surged into the streets and helped Occupy supporters carve out new protest zones, including parts of Nathan Road and Argyle Street.
“Last night was weird because the police knew that they couldn’t ... stop people from gathering by using pepper spray, but they still used it, so it was only arousing conflict,” Chan said.
Chan said police should know that Mong Kok is different from the Causeway Bay and Queensway occupation zones. The latter two have a small number of protesters during the day and night, while Mong Kok crowds grow during the evenings, he said.
