Hong Kong Protests: Demonstrators Face Off With Police inside Malls

By Staff, Agencies

Hong Kong riot police swept into several shopping malls on Saturday, chasing off and arresting some anti-government Hong Kong demonstrators who had gathered to press their demands in the peak shopping weekend before Christmas.

In a mall in Yuen Long, close to the China border, hundreds of black-clad protesters marked the five-month anniversary of an attack in a train station by an armed mob wearing white T-shirts which beat up bystanders and protesters with pipes and poles.

Police have been criticized for not responding quickly enough to calls for help, and for not arresting any alleged culprits at the scene.

They later made several arrests and said the assailants had links to organized criminal gangs, or triads.

The protesters demanded justice for the attack, shouting “Fight for Freedom” and “Stand with Hong Kong”.

Protests in Hong Kong are now in their seventh month, albeit in a relative lull. Residents are angry at what they see as China’s meddling in the city’s freedoms guaranteed under the “one country, two systems” formula when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Many are also outraged by perceived police brutality, and are demanding an independent investigation into allegations of excessive force. Other demands include the release of all arrested demonstrators and full democracy.