Mong Kok rioters ‘are not helping’: witnesses share views on night of street battles that shook Hong Kong
Six residents at the scene on Monday night share their views on how the events transpired
The Mong Kok riot brought a level of violence to Hong Kong’s streets that has not been seen for decades. These are the verdicts on the night from participants, bystanders, stall owners and a member of the media.
Julia Fung, student
Fung described the night as “shocking”, but said she was more afraid of the police than the rioters. Fung said she was hit by a police baton to her back when taking a picture of a girl being pinned down to the floor. “You could see rage towards the protesters in the police officers’ eyes,” she said. Fung said she believed Hong Kong protesters have become more radical due to what they perceived as increased heavy-handedness by the government, and that it was a fracas that occurred over hawkers selling fishballs on the street that sparked the riot. “Not only were batons and pepper spray used ... police were firing gunshots,” she said. She said the relationship between the city’s police force and the people had hit a new low.
Cheng Hon-keung, cameraman
Cable TV news cameraman Cheng was in the thick of the action when bricks and debris began flying above him. He had been repeatedly told by rioters not to film them throwing or picking up projectiles. To keep a low profile, Cheng said he even turned off his camera flash. Despite wearing a helmet and a reporter’s vest and hiding in a corner, he was hit by a flying brick “from out of nowhere” in the left side of his jaw. “I was already hiding in the corner, and it just came flying towards me – sideways,” he said outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, where he was sent for treatment of his injuries. Cheng, who luckily required no stitches, was released shortly afterwards.
Sam Lau, security guard
Lau was on duty at his workplace, a building on Sai Yeung Choi Street South which is just a stone’s throw away from the site of the clashes, when the violence broke out. Lau said he was “very scared” at the time, and added police were “too polite” and passive in dealing with the mob, despite firing off two warning shots. He recalled times “back in the colonial era” when “foreign police officers” would be equally as cruel to hawkers. “Police would even beat and kick them,” he said.
Mr Leung, bystander
Leung, 29, said the scene had been “ridiculous” at the time he heard the gunshots, even though he did not actually witness them being fired. “It’s not like the protesters were throwing incendiary bombs,” he said. Having stopped by the neighbourhood to have dinner, he stayed to watch the events unfold. He said the protesters were neither equipped with helmets nor equipment before the shots were fired.
Esther Yip Hoi-wan, activist
Yip, an activist from the group 80s Momentum, said it was very dangerous for the police to carry out such an operation as there were hawkers’ trolleys filled with hot food on the street. She said that after pepper spray was used in a narrow street, the crowd had panicked and retreated. She was puzzled as to why police deployed the tear gas.
Mr Wong and Ms Chan, owners of a stall in the area
Mr Wong and Ms Chan, who run a stall selling assorted meat skewers in a back alley near Portland Street, were angry with how the protesters handled themselves. “If they continue to do this, Hong Kong will be affected forever,” Wong said. “Basically, [the protesters] are not helping us ... It is not right to engage in such clashes with others,” said Chan. The pair have run their stall in the area for around a decade.
