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Trouble flared in Admiralty today after dozens of masked men attempted to remove barricades put up by Occupy Central protesters.
Pro-democracy demonstrators and the masked men yelled at each other and there was pushing and shoving as police struggled to keep the two groups apart, while a crane was used to lift metal barriers into the back of a truck.
The ugly scenes kicked off at about 1.30pm, shortly after a group of at least 20 men wearing facemasks gathered in Queensway opposite the Lippo Centre.
The men produced knives and proceeded to cut away cable ties that had been used to bind the barriers together, before removing them, along with a number of tents used by Occupy protesters.
At least two men were handcuffed and taken away by police, but it was not immediately clear which side they were on.
The masked group then move to Cotton Tree Drive, where they were joined by about 10 taxi drivers in their cabs and a larger number of middle-aged men, in what appeared to be a coordinated effort to demolish barricades.
An SCMP reporter at the scene estimated there were up to 500 people on the scene by 2.15pm, including hundreds watching proceedings unfold from nearby walkways and flyovers.
As the cab drivers honked their horns in support of the removal of the barricades, police formed a cordon and prevented the men from removing barriers, while the crowd numbers on both sides swelled.
Shouts of "Occupy Central is illegal" and "Open roads" were heard at the scene, while Occupy members chanted back "arrest the triad members", in reference to reports that gang members are being used to cause disarray in protest zones.
Chu Wai-Ho, 32, said: "I can't believe the anti-Occupy Central people actually took the step of organising what look like triad members to break up our peaceful protests. We're under the Bank of China and this is a major international financial hub. I can't believe they're doing this in full view of many foreigners and working professionals."
Lee King-hoi, a retiree, said tearfully: "How could the police officers allow others - to be exact, thugs - to enforce the law? Has the government given up its governance?"

Edward Chin Chi-kin, a core member of Occupy Central's finance group, said he hoped the police were not cooperating with the truck drivers in removing the barricades.
"Everyone has the right to protest, but if these anti-Occupy [people] who bring in trucks use violence against others ... that's not right," he said.
The clashes came just hours after police in Admiralty and Mong Kok launched an operation to remove barricades and open a number of occupied roads to traffic.
Police said in a statement that they were not attempting to clear the protest sites, but were reclaiming government property and trying to get traffic moving again.
Tensions have been building in recent days as business owners and commuters say the Occupy protests are damaging livelihoods and stopping Hongkongers from going about their daily lives.
Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung signalled more than a week ago that the government was prepared to play a waiting game, hoping that support for the protesters would wane.


Face-off in Admiralty as anti-Occupy demonstrators use crane to clear barricades

A crane is used to scoop up metal barriers and dump them into a truck in Admiralty. Photo: Jeffie Lam

Lee King-hoi became tearful when talking about the clashes. Photo: Jeffie Lam

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Hong Kong