HONG KONG (NBC) – Hong Kong police fired tear gas and used pepper spray on protesters Wednesday to try to disperse crowds at Christmas-decorated shopping malls and nearby streets.
There were no major clashes, but with impromptu crowds forming to shout abuse at the deeply unpopular officers, who have been accused of using excessive force. Police briefly fired tear gas in Mong Kok, a popular protest area.
Hundreds of protesters, dressed in black and wearing face masks, descended on shopping malls around the Chinese-ruled city, shouting popular slogans such as “liberate Hong Kong! Revolution of our times!”
Police have described their responses to the unrest as reactive and restrained.
A Hong Kong anti-government protester who identified as “Kay” said, “We are here not to destroy anything but we are trying to let everyone to know that we won’t celebrate the Christmas because we want to protest even on this joyful day.”
The protests started more than six months ago against a now-withdrawn bill which would have allowed extraditions to mainland China where courts are controlled by the Communist Party.
They have since evolved into a broader pro-democracy movement, with demonstrators angry at what they perceive as increased meddling by Beijing in the freedoms promised to the former British colony when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
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