Scuffles erupted between police and protesters in Hong Kong yesterday, with dozens of arrests made, after thousands marched near the border with China, shouting pro-democracy slogans and venting their anger at mainland Chinese traders.
The demonstrators in Sheung Shui took aim at so-called “parallel traders” from China who buy vast amounts of duty-free goods in Hong Kong and take them back to the mainland to sell at a profit.
Locals have said that it pushes up prices, overcrowds neighborhoods and adds to growing tensions between Hong Kong residents and mainland Chinese.
Photo: AP
“The mainland Chinese come here, block the streets with their bags ... rents have gone up and it has made things more expensive for Hong Kongers,” said Jasmin, a 19-year-old student dressed all in black, who only gave her first name. “I want the government to know that too many of them are coming over here.”
The marchers, including families with children, shouted slogans such as “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of our times!” and “Patriots use China-made products, don’t parallel trade!”
Organizers estimated 10,000 people took part in the march, while police estimated a crowd of 2,500 at its peak.
After the march ended, protesters dressed in black and wearing masks remained in the area, despite calls from organizers to disperse immediately.
At one point, riot police stormed through, hitting protesters with batons and using pepper spray. It was unclear what triggered their intervention.
A few dozen people were arrested. They were seen sitting on the ground and leaning against a wall while police took down their details, and were later escorted into two white buses.
Many shops in the area were closed.
In a separate incident earlier in the day, police fired tear gas to disperse a group of protesters hurling Molotov cocktails over the fence of the Sheung Shui Police Station before the march, damaging one police vehicle.
The protests follow a march in central Hong Kong of at least tens of thousands on New Year’s Day and an escalation in clashes with the police over the festive period.
The protest movement is supported by 59 percent of the territory’s residents polled in a survey conducted for Reuters by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute.
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