Hong Kong police clash with protesters in Lunar New Year riots

Hong Kong’s Lunar New Year celebrations descended into chaos as protesters and police, who fired warning shots into the air, clashed in a street market selling fish balls and other local holiday delicacies, leaving dozens injured and arrested.

The violence is the worst in Hong Kong since pro-democracy protests rocked the city in 2014, leaving a growing trust gap between the public and authorities, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Activists angered over authorities’ attempts to crack down on the food hawkers in a crowded Kowloon neighborhood held running battles with police into Tuesday’s early morning hours.

Protesters pelted officers with bottles and pieces of trash. Some threw garbage cans, plastic safety barriers and wood from shipping pallets. They also set fires on the street.

Police said 48 officers were hurt by glass and flying objects and confirmed that two warnings shots were fired.

The unrest started when authorities tried to prevent unlicensed street food sellers from operating on Monday night in Mong Kok, a working-class district. The hawkers and their food are a local Lunar New Year tradition, but this year authorities tried to remove them.

The hawkers were backed by activists who objected to the crackdown over concerns that Hong Kong’s local culture is disappearing as Beijing tightens its hold on the semiautonomous city.

Source: MENA