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Hong Kong Protesters Call Off Talks After Mobs Attack Their Camps

Hong Kong's main democracy groups called off planned talks with the territory's government after several hundred pro-Beijing demonstrators attacked activists who have staged a week of protests calling for greater freedom.

Occupy Central, one of the main groups organizing protests against Beijing's effort to tightly control the selection of Hong Kong's leader, tweeted today:

, Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung, speaking at a news conference Thursday, said he would stay in the job but appointed his deputy, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, to meet with protesters to discuss "constitutional development."
But hours later, as the 

 "A group of mostly male anti-Occupy protestors appeared to be taking commands from a middle-aged Putonghua-speaking [Mandarin-speaking] woman wearing a face mask using a loud hailer at the junction of Argyle Street and Nathan Road [in Mong Kok district]. The thin line of police separating opposing sides was stretched to breaking point, and finally gave way shortly after 5pm. Soon after more police arrived as the tense stand-off continued."


Mong Kok, located on Kowloon Peninsula, is one of three main protest areas, which also include the central Admiralty area and Causeway Bay on Hong Kong island.

The Associated Press describes the counterprotesters as Hong Kong residents and pro-Beijing supporters.

NPR's Anthony Kuhn, reporting from Mong Kok, says there's a lot of anger and shouting and that police have established a human chain "to escort Occupy Central protesters to safety.

"It's been a very tense scene for the past several hours," he says.

Anthony spoke to several of the anti-Occupy protesters: "Most of these people tend to be businessmen. They say they want democracy in Hong Kong too, but they think the way the Occupy Central people are going about it is the wrong way."


It was not immediately clear whether the attack on the protesters was spontaneous or part of a coordinated effort to break up the demonstrations, but 

 calling them "organized attacks" and threatened to call off the planned dialogue with authorities if the government did not immediately stop the assaults.


The AP says: "The scuffles in Kowloon's crowded Mong Kok district were the most chaotic since police used tear gas and pepper spray on Sunday in an unsuccessful attempt to disperse protesters pressing for greater electoral reforms."


Elsewhere, in Causeway Bay, locals angered by the days of protests that brought the neighborhood to a halt confronted pro-democracy protesters. Three men were "shouting loudly, using vulgar language against protesters." Later, the 

 says, "[an] organised group of about 30 men wearing masks broke through Hennesy Road and reached Jardine's Bazaar and began removing barricades there."


Occupy Central protesters were angered that police did not stop the attack on their camp, some chanting "shame on you" at officers, the newspaper says.


In Admiralty, where some of the largest protests have taken place, Ian Mo, 28, tells the 

that he had been planning to join the demonstrations but changed his mind after seeing the violence.


"The atmosphere here in Admiralty has changed a lot. The people here were so peaceful over the past few nights," Mo said. "People feel angry because of tonight's violence and are standing up again."


Mo said he had walked past protests in Mong Kok and seen the violence there. "There were some police standing by in the crowd but they simply did nothing," he told the 

.
On Friday, Hong Kong Financial Secretary John Tsang 

urged the Occupy Central protesters to consider the long-term interest of the territory

Scott Neuman

Author

Several hundred pro-Beijing demonstrators opposed to a week-long protest led by Hong Kong's Occupy Central movement in Hong Kong have broken through police lines, smashing the pro-democracy protesters' tents and scuffling with student activists.

Anti-protest mob attacks Hong Kong student camp

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