Friday marked the sixth day of Hong Kong's protests against Beijing's interference in local politics, but the demonstrations took an unexpected turn. A pro-government mob destroyed one of the pro-democracy protest sites on Friday afternoon (local time) in the Mong Kok district of the Kowloon peninsula.
Time reports from Hong Hong that hundreds joined in the pro-government mob, "attacking students, trashing student tents, and hurling obscenities." The police were apparently "overwhelmed" by the new mob, but they eventually were able to evacuate some of the pro-democracy protesters.
The anti-Occupy mob destroyed the pro-democracy protesters' signs and posters, telling the activists to "go home," according to Time. Time adds that some female protesters were allegedly sexually molested.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The South China Morning Post adds that the pro-government mob was led by a "middle-aged Putonghua-speaking woman wearing a face mask using a loud hailer," though the mob's political affiliations were not clear. Student activists issued a statement calling the mob's actions "organized attacks" and threatening to cancel a planned "dialogue on political reform" with Hong Kong authorities if the government didn't immediately stop the assaults.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.