Violent scuffles broke out in one of Hong Kong’s most famous and congested shopping districts on Friday, as supporters of Chinese rule stormed tents and ripped down banners belonging to pro-democracy protesters.
In the gritty, bustling district of Mongkok – considered one of the most crowded places on Earth with its high-rise apartment blocks packed closely together over neon lights, bars, restaurants and open-air markets – about 1,000 Beijing supporters clashed with about 100 protesters on Friday, spitting and throwing water bottles.
Hong Kong’s mass pro-democracy protests had ebbed on Friday morning after the chief executive offered talks to student representatives minutes before their midnight deadline for his resignation.
But hundreds remained in Mongkok and around government offices in the city’s downtown, angered by Leung Chun-ying’s refusal to quit and deeply sceptical that dialogue will win any changes to Beijing’s plans for elections in the region.
Police formed a human chain in Mongkok to separate the two groups amid the wail of sirens. Beijing supporters shouted at police for failing to move on the pro-democracy demonstrations.
The Hong Kong government on Friday evening issued what it called “another stern warning to protesters” urging the pro-democracy protests to immediately leave the area outside Leung’s offices and the government complex.
“The behaviour of these protesters is illegal, extremely unreasonable and inhumane, and is even worse than that of radical social activists and almost complete anarchy,” the statement said.
“Nonsensical acts of obstructing the police and other public officers carrying out their duties to serve the community will not be tolerated. People gathering in the vicinity of the CGO and the CEO will be dealt with resolutely in accordance with the law”
There were earlier scuffles on Friday between police and demonstrators at Leung’s office, and angry debates between protesters trying to block the road running past it and the larger number who opposed them, warning it would only antagonise the public.
Demonstrators created safe passage lines so that vehicles could get through.
The spontaneity and diversity of the movement will make it harder to bring the protest to a smooth end. Student and Occupy Central organizers have stressed for days that they are no longer the leaders of the protests.
At Causeway Bay, the third protest site, only a handful of protesters remained and police cleared away most of the barriers they had erected. Some residents complained angrily to demonstrators about the disruption.
Mongkok is popular with tourists from the mainland but not as well known to western tourists as the luxury shopping area of Causeway Bay.Leung said in his 11th-hour press conference that he was staying, but announced that he had asked the chief secretary Carrie Lam to speak to student representatives, as they had requested. Beijing had earlier expressed its total confidence in his leadership.
The Hong Kong Federation of Students said in a statement early on Friday that it would take part in the talks with the government, stressing that the dialogue would cover only political reform. It repeated its demand that Leung step down, saying he “had lost his integrity”.
Joshua Wong, co-founder of another student group, Scholarism, wrote on Facebook: “People have asked me what my position is. People have asked me what my thinking is. To me, it is not complicated nor hard to understand … For Leung Chun-ying to step down; to fight for civic nomination; the withdrawal of the NPC decision [which imposed tough restrictions on future chief executive elections].”
Occupy Central also welcomed the talks but still insisted that Leung quit. Leung’s remarks were the first concession in a standoff that has lasted for days, with tens of thousands of protesters paralysing parts of central Hong Kong at its peak.
