New | Angry nighttime stand-off in Mong Kok amid Occupy clearance attempts
Angry stand-offs at the Occupy Mong Kok protest site in Kowloon lasted until the early morning of Wednesday amid attempts by police to return occupied streets to traffic and protesters’ growing frustration with a court-ordered clearance operation.
Scuffles on Reclamation Street, Dundas Street, Shantung Street led to the arrest of 86 people, mostly men, for offences including unlawful assembly, assaulting police and obstructing police officers, police said.
Police said they arrested one man in possession of an axe, an iron hammer and a crowbar.
An unknown number of protesters and police officers were injured in the scuffles.
Demonstrators said they would not give in to court orders and police warnings and end their now 60 days-long protest for democratic reform in Hong Kong.
Programmer Paul Lee, 29, was one of many driven by police from his original protest base near Argyle Street to the intersection of Reclamation Street and Soy Street.
"Of course the occupation has to be continued,” he said. “This is definitely not a time to retreat as none of our goals has been achieved yet."
Shortly after 9pm on Tuesday, protesters occupied the junction of Reclamation and Soy Street, bringing traffic to a standstill there. Commuters stuck on blocked buses, minibuses and cabs had to find other means of transport.
In an effort to the reopen the junction to traffic, police pushed some of the protesters against walls and pinned them to the ground before leading those arrested away from the intersection, further infuriating an already angry crowd.
At 10.45pm, scores of protesters attempted to block a lane of Ferry Street near Soy Street with roadside construction material, but were dispersed minutes later by police.
Scuffles at the junction of Shantung Street and Nathan Road were frequent. Police baton-charged the crowd and pepper-sprayed protesters after they tried to break through a police cordon there.
Protesters, geared with helmets, protective goggles, improvised shields and cushions, set up a new barricade there.
The nightly confrontation ended after a last stand-off at the intersection of Nathan Road and Shantung Street around 3.15am on Wednesday.
Protesters then returned to Nathan Road, where around 7am a group of about one hundred awaited court bailiffs, who were expected to execute a court order to clear barricades.
Many protesters said they would not give up their struggle for democracy, but said they would respect the court's order.
"I will continue to be here as long as other people are here," said Philip Yung, 18, a Chinese University student who spent the night "protecting Shantung Street".
"Most will respect the bailiffs actions and leave, but they will just go somewhere else not listed in the injunction orders."
Yung said police had not used minimum force in the night to Wednesday. He said many of his friends had been beaten and injured.
Echo Lee, 26, said she would also stay until bailiffs instruct her to leave Nathan Road.
"Where will go next depends on consensus," she said. "I will see what grounds we have to occupy it and what groups are leading the move before making a decision."
"Just because we lose [Nathan Road] doesn't mean the end of the entire movement."
