Violence Breaks Out As Police Clear Another Pro-Democracy Protest Site

Thousands of students descended on Mong Kok and were involved in ongoing confrontations with police late into the night, angry that barricades at the site were torn down.

The group initially tried to take hold of Nathan Road, where the demonstration had been based for the past two months, but were pushed back by police onto an adjoining street that is a pedestrian mall on weekends.

Around 9 a.m. yesterday, a dozen bailiffs arrived in Mongkok to enforce a court order granted to a minibus company to clear a protest site on Argyle Street.

Representatives of a pro-Beijing party came in later, demanding that the demonstrators leave in half an hour and saying that violators would be charged with contempt of court.

While some protesters were dispersed by police, others remained at the scene.

Police reinforcement arrived at around 3 p.m., and police told protesters that they could retreat to Jim Sha Tsui.

Traffic began to flow normally around 4 p.m. However, police authorities then moved beyond the area covered by the court order and began forcibly pushing demonstrators with their shields.

A total of 23 protestors were nabbed yesterday and charged with contempt of court or resisting public officers.

A former police officer from the elite paramilitary Special Duties Unit was spotted directing the police from a high vantage point. Riot police were seen wearing special gloves with brass knuckles for possibly the first time.