Hong Kong protesters on Thursday promised a major rally on New Year’s Day after wrapping up their third straight day of protests over the Christmas holiday.
it was reported by Reuters, demonstrators have successfully disrupted shoppers over the holiday, and though there was a smaller turnout of protesters at shopping centers on Thursday, police detained a number of demonstrators at a mall.
At a shopping center called the Moko atrium, demonstrators on heckled people at businesses with mainland-Chinese owners and threw potted plants at riot police, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. Police responded by searching for large groups of people.
According to Vice News, Still, things were a bit calmer on Thursday than on Christmas Day, when protesters and police clashed. It marked just the latest skirmish in the protests that began months ago as opposed to an extradition law but have since morphed into pro-Democracy demonstrations against Beijing’s creeping influence over the semi-autonomous region.
When demonstrators went outside, they were met with water cannons and tear gas. Authorities said demonstrators threw petrol bombs and that more than 100 people were arrested, according to CNN.
Despite the chaos and violence, some demonstrators managed to celebrate a makeshift Christmas. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside a tiny restaurant to have dinner on paper plates under street lights, Reuters reported.
