'Critical moment' for HK protests after new clashes
HONG KONG: Pro-democracy activists on Sunday accused police of using excessive force against protesters after violent clashes in Hong Kong, as a senior politician said weeks of rallies have reached a "critical moment".
Dozens of police with shields and helmets pushed into a crowd of demonstrators gathered at barricades in the Mongkok district early Sunday, striking at them repeatedly with batons.
Riot police advance on a pro-democracy protest encampment in the Mongkok district of Hong Kong. (AP/Vincent Yu)
Twenty people were injured in a fourth night of violence after three weeks of largely peaceful pro-democracy rallies and road blockades in three busy districts. Some demonstrators were carried away on stretchers and others treated for head wounds, fractures and bruising.
Police are trying to clear a main thoroughfare, Nathan Road, occupied by demonstrators. They said in a statement on Sunday they had used "minimum force" as protesters "suddenly attempted to charge" their cordon lines. However protesters told AFP they had done nothing to provoke officers.
"We believe police have violated the principle of using minimum force to deal with peaceful demonstration," James Hon, of protest group the League in Defence of Hong Kong's Freedom, told AFP. He said batons used in this way could cause serious injuries or even deaths.
Hon's group was formed by professionals concerned about the erosion of civil liberties in the semi-autonomous Chinese city. Protest leaders, religious figures and lawmakers were also due to speak at the Mongkok rally site later Sunday in response to police actions.
PLEA FOR RETREAT
Protesters are calling for fully free elections after Beijing insisted that candidates in a 2017 vote for the city's leader must be vetted by a committee expected to be loyal to China. But Hong Kong's leader Leung Chun-ying has warned that Chinese authorities have no intention of backing down.
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'Critical moment' for HK protests after new clashes