Hong Kong police on Monday denied accusations their officers showed comparative lenience towards gangs of pro-Beijing men who attacked pro-democracy supporters during a weekend marked by multiple bloody street brawls.
The once stable international hub has been convulsed by weeks of huge, sometimes violent rallies calling for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability. The movement is the biggest challenge to China’s rule since the city was handed back by Britain in 1997 and shows no sign of ending, with city leaders and Beijing taking a hard line.
On Sunday riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at hardcore pro-democracy protesters who were hurling rocks and petrol bombs, capping a 15th consecutive weekend of huge peaceful rallies followed by clashes.
But there was also an uptick in bloody street fights, with people on both sides of the political divide finding themselves beaten. At a Press conference on Monday, Hong Kong’s police displayed videos of multiple instances where individuals were attacked by pro-democracy supporters, including one where a man was kicked unconscious by a mob. Pro-democracy activists were seen beating people in at least four separate locations throughout Sunday, with the unconscious man taken to hospital in a critical condition.