Hong Kong marks Christmas Eve with clashes and tear gas
Hong Kong marked Christmas Eve with tear gas and mall clashes yesterday night as battles between democracy activists and riot police swept through a major shopping district.
The evening’s unrest was the most sustained in what has otherwise been a few weeks of comparative calm for a city upended by more than six months of violent protests.
Thousands of black-clad protesters -- some wearing Santa hats and reindeer antlers -- took to the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui, a usually bustling tourist district.
Clashes soon erupted with riot police firing multiple rounds of tear gas to disperse protesters throughout the evening, including outside the famous Peninsula Hotel.
Police said a “large group of rioters” had built barricades, damaged traffic lights and dug up bricks on the area’s major thoroughfares.
Meanwhile, flashmob rallies were held in multiple malls across the financial hub, with protesters chanting anti-government slogans.
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