Hong Kong Braces for More Disruption After Christmas Protests
Gatherings are already scheduled for the New Town Plaza in Sha Tin on Friday and in Sheung Shui, an area near the Chinese border.
(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong braced for more disruption over the holidays following protests over Christmas that led to clashes between demonstrators and riot police.
Gatherings are scheduled over the weekend at the New Town Plaza shopping mall in Shatin and Sheung Shui, an area near the Chinese border. Those will lead up to a major rally on Jan. 1 organized by the Civil Human Rights Front, which has helmed some of the biggest peaceful protests since the demonstrations against China’s tightening grip over Hong Kong began in June. The organizer is still waiting for a police permit.
Pro-democracy protesters gathered in the afternoon of Boxing Day at shopping centers. Dozens of black-clad demonstrators were roaming around at Sogo department store in Causeway Bay chanting slogans while riot police stopped and searched people in Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui, according to Radio Television Hong Kong. Police have arrested 336 people during the Christmas holiday spanning Monday through Thursday, including 92 women and minors as young as 12, the AP reported, citing chief police spokesman Kwok Ka-chuen.
Shopping centers have been the center of confrontations between protesters and police over the past few days. Police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators inside a mall in Kowloon Bay on Christmas Day, according to local broadcaster Cable TV. Malls were also the scene for some of the clashes that occurred Christmas Eve, which left about two dozen people injured.
“Many members of the public and tourists coming to Hong Kong were naturally disappointed that their Christmas Eve celebrations have been ruined by a group of reckless and selfish rioters,” Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in a statement on Thursday. “Such illegal acts have not only dampened the festive mood but also adversely affected local businesses. The government will try its utmost best to uphold law and order, and restore peace in Hong Kong.”
The tumult over the holiday adds to what has been an abysmal six-month period for Hong Kong’s retailers. Not only has the unrest dissuaded many of the city’s residents from visiting stores, it’s also sapped the flow of tourists, especially those from mainland China. The most recent data for retail sales in Hong Kong, once a mecca for shoppers, showed a record 24.3% plunge.
To contact the reporter on this story: Annie Lee in Hong Kong at olee42@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Ten Kate at dtenkate@bloomberg.net, Muneeza Naqvi
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