Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters retake demonstration site from police

(Image credit: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

Just hours after Hong Kong officials cleared a pro-democracy protest site in the Mong Kok district, about 9,000 demonstrators clashed with police in an effort to retake control of the area, BBC News reports.

Activists used umbrellas — which have become a symbol of the movement as demonstrators use them to deflect pepper spray — as they pushed back past police, eventually re-occupying the streets and shutting down traffic. Dozens of protesters and police officers alike were wounded in the skirmishes, and authorities arrested at least 26 people.

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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.