Dozens injured as police, protesters clash in Hong Kong

Clashes escalated early Tuesday morning with part of Nathan Road, a main thoroughfare, blocked, Radio Television Hong Kong reported.

About 40 police vans were parked nearby.

The clashes broke out after police moved in to clear “hawkers”, or illegal vendors who sell local delicacies, trinkets and household goods from makeshift streetside stalls.

Clashes with the police were the worst since the Umbrella Movement for democracy in late 2014.

The hawkers, long a common sight on Hong Kong’s bustling streets, quickly attracted a strong social media following under the hashtag #FishballRevolution.

Mong Kok deputy district commander Yau Siu-kei said 44 police officers were injured, and said the two “warning shots” were necessary “because many rioters were attacking police with hard objects and seriously threatened their lives”. Protesters responded to police violence by throwing glass bottles and ceramic pots at them and setting fire to trash cans.

“The situation ran out of control and became a riot”, Yau said.

The protesters had dispersed by midnight GMT.

Hong Kong police released a statement condemning the violence and defended its “resolute actions” in handling the chaotic scenes.

The scuffles eventually died out in the early hours of Tuesday morning, police told the Reuters news agency.

“I am deeply disappointed in the government”, he added. MTR Corp, operator of the city’s subway, said the Mong Kok station was temporarily closed.

Police said three men were arrested and three officers were injured and had been sent to hospital for treatment. More than 80 officers and four reporters were hurt, he said.

A worker cleans the street after rioters set fires on it in Mong Kok district of Hong Kong, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016.

Tuesday’s clashes, however, appeared more violent.

ANALYSIS: What’s Really Going on in Hong Kong? Many protesters and police were also shown with blood streaming down their faces. According to the South China Morning Post, police released a statement on Tuesday morning saying, “Police reiterate that any acts endangering public order and public safety will not be tolerated”.

Many so-called localists remain deeply embittered by the lack of any concessions from Beijing or Hong Kong authorities during the pro-democracy protests.