Hundreds of protesters, dressed in black and wearing face masks, went through the hustle and bustle of Christmas in various shopping centers in Hong Kong on the first holiday. With slogans like "Liberate Hong Kong!" or "This is the revolution of our time", they continued their protests against the Beijing-loyal government - while there were minor clashes with the police outside.
The television showed how the police arrested people in a shopping center in Sha Tin after being sprayed with pepper spray. In the Mong Kong district, police fired tear gas when a crowd spontaneously formed and demonstrators insulted the police officers, whom they accused of excessive violence.
"Confrontation is expected, it doesn't matter if it's Christmas," said Chan, one of the demonstrators who, among other things, is calling for more democracy in the Chinese-run special administrative zone. The 28-year-old, who only wanted to give his last name, said: "I am disappointed that the government has still not responded to one of our demands. We will continue to go, even if we do not have much hope."
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Hong Kong demos: pepper spray and tear gas on Christmas DayHong Kong Prime Minister Carrie Lam experienced a debacle at the local whales in November - but there are no signs of concessions, neither in Beijing nor in Beijing. On Wednesday, she complained via Facebook post that many citizens and tourists were disappointed because their "Christmas Eve celebrations had been ruined".
"Such illegal acts have not only clouded the mood, but also harmed the business of local companies," she wrote. On Tuesday there were sometimes massive, violent clashes in the city.
Tear gas, batons, water cannons
Twenty-five people were injured, officials said, including a man who attempted to flee the police and fell from the second floor to the first floor of a mall. Police fired tear gas at thousands of demonstrators and used batons. A water cannon flanked by armored jeeps drove through the streets.
Protesters barricaded streets, sprayed political slogans on house walls, and devastated a Starbucks café and HSBC branch. HSBC is involved in a controversy about closing a bank account for demonstrators who wanted to collect donations. Starbucks was furious when the daughter of the founder of Maxim's Caterers, who owns the local franchise, publicly condemned the demonstrators.
The protests continued on Wednesday. "I'm here because I want the world to support us," said 30-year-old Terry at Sha Tin Mall. "We have been here for six months, so it makes no difference whether we are here on Christmas Day."
"One country, two systems"
The protests in Hong Kong, which had previously led to violence, started in the summer. The trigger was a now withdrawn draft law that people should have been extradited to mainland China. There the courts are controlled by the Communist Party.
From this, a more ready protest movement developed. The protesters feel that Beijing is interfering too much and is restricting the freedoms granted to the former British colony when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
China, on the other hand, denies the allegations and at least formally acknowledges the "one country, two systems" formula that was introduced at the time. The Beijing government has accused foreign forces of fueling unrest in Hong Kong.