Mobs linked to TRIAD gangs try to drive Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters off the streets as demonstrations turn into running brawls

19 people were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly and fighting

Of those, eight were believed to be linked to triad gangs

Protesters claimed police of working with the criminals to attack them

At least 12 people and six police officers were hurt during clashes overnight







A night of running brawls in Hong Kong led to the arrest of 19 people, some believed to be linked to triad gangs, as mobs tried to drive pro-democracy protesters from the streets.



Of those arrested, eight men are believed to have backgrounds involving triads, or organized crime gangs, police said, and they face charges of unlawful assembly, fighting in public and assault.

Senior Superintendent Patrick Kwok Pak-chung said a t least 12 people and six officers were injured during the clashes.

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An anti-occupy protester is pulled by pro-democracy protesters on the seventh day of clashes in Hong Kong; police last night arrested 19 people, eight of which had links to triad gangs

The protester yells in frustration as he tries to free himself from a headlock as other demonstrators fight Police said they were trying their best to maintain 'buffer zones' between people of opposing views and to ensure onlookers weren't caught up in the 'very high risk activity'

Anti-occupy protesters try to remove a barricade from pro-democracy demonstrators in Mong Kok

Angry protesters confront each other in Kowloon's Mong Kok district

A woman is protected from the crowd by pro-democracy student protester follow a scuffle in Mong Kok

Police struggled for hours to control the battles as attackers pushed, shoved and jeered the protesters.

The allegations that organized crime members were involved in the clashes fueled jitters Saturday at the movement's main camp, on a highway outside government headquarters. There were frequent calls for supporters to rush to barricades after sporadic rumors that people were coming to attack them.

Protesters also accused police of working together with triads to use force to attack them, but police denied it.



Hong Kong's security chief, Lai Tung-kwok, said: 'Such rumors linking us to `black societies,' are utterly unfair.



The deputy police superintendent, said the police were trying their best to maintain 'buffer zones' between people of opposing views and to ensure onlookers weren't caught up in the 'very high risk activity'.

Police separate an injured man from the crowd after a fight broke-out after he tried to remove a barricade set up by pro-democracy protesters A pro-democracy protester rests on a blockaded road next to the central government offices

Those arrested face charges of unlawful assembly, fighting in public and assault

Protesters pour bottles of water on a protester to clean his face after it was hit with pepper spray last night A man is escorted through the streets by police officers after violence broke out during the Hong Kong protests Demonstrators march through the streets of Kowloon, across the harbour from the main protesting site

Protest leaders called off planned talks with the government on political reforms after the battles kicked off Friday afternoon in gritty, blue-collar Mong Kok, across Victoria Harbor from the activists' main protest camp.



The protesters urged residents to join their cause and demanded that police protect their encampments. The Hong Kong Federation of Students, one of the groups leading the demonstrations that drew tens of thousands of people earlier this week, said they saw no choice but to cancel the dialogue.

In a statement the group said: 'The government is demanding the streets be cleared. We call upon all Hong Kong people to immediately come to protect our positions and fight to the end.



They demanded the government hold someone responsible for the scuffles, the worst disturbances since police used tear gas and pepper spray on protesters last weekend to try to disperse them.



Michael Yipu, 28, who works in a bank ,said: 'Of course I'm scared, but we have to stay and support everyone.'



A protester confronts police officers at Hong Kong's Mongkok district, where a main road is occupied A protester, left, and policeman, right, argue on the street during clashes between rival protest groups Pro-democracy activists watch on as police secure the main protest site after it was damaged in clashes Pro-democracy protesters display banners urging peace and unity, despite the outbreak of violence A protester is arrested by police in the Mongkok neighborhood as tensions rise between pro-democracy protesters and pro-Beijing

The standoff is the biggest challenge to Beijing's authority since it took over the former British colony in 1997.



Earlier Friday, the students had agreed to talks with the government proposed by Hong Kong's leader, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. But his attempt to defuse tensions fell flat as many protesters were unhappy with his refusal to accept their demand for him to resign.

The cancellation of the talks - prompted by clashes with men who tried to tear down the makeshift barricades and tents set up by the demonstrators - left the next steps in the crisis uncertain.



It was unclear if those scuffles were spontaneous or had been organized, although some of the attackers wore blue ribbons signaling support for the mainland Chinese government, while the protesters have yellow ribbons.



On social media, an image circulated purportedly calling on people in the 'silent majority' to gather and agitate the protesters in Mong Kok for 300 Hong Kong dollars (£23), promising bonuses for extra destruction. Calls to a mobile phone number listed on the notice did not go through.



Protest leaders threatened to cancel scheduled talks with the Hong Kong government Friday after opponents to pro-democracy demonstrations destroyed a rally site and drove away protesters in Mong Kok, Kowloon A group of men in masks rough up a man who tried to stop them from removing barricades from a pro-democracy protest area in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong

An injured pro-democracy protester receives medical attention in Mong Kok on day six of the mass civil disobedience campaign On both sides of the cordon line, heaving masses of people jostled and engaged in vicious shouting matches as bystanders worked to prevent violence from breaking out A bloodied man is taken from the confrontation of pro-democracy student protesters and angry local residents A pro-democracy protester (centre) is grabbed by an anti-Occupy Central protester (right) at Hong Kong's Mongkok shopping district Pro-democracy demonstrators scuffle with police outside Hong Kong's government offices on the fifth day of the mass civil disobedience campaign

At least some of those opposed to protesters were residents fed up with the inconvenience of blocked streets and closed shops. Donald Chan, 45, said it wasn't about 'whether I support their cause or not', and said the protests had 'brought chaos to the city'.

The chaos prompted calls from police and other top officials for everyone to avoid violence and go home.



The protesters have been in the streets since September 26, pledging to preserve Hong Kong's Western-style legal system and civil liberties.



They want the Chinese government to reverse a decision requiring all candidates in the first election for Hong Kong's leader in 2017 to be approved by a mostly pro-Beijing committee. The demonstrators want open nominations.



China's government has mostly kept quiet during the crisis, other than to call the protests illegal and support the Hong Kong government's efforts to disperse them. On Friday, the Communist Party newspaper People's Daily accused a small group of demonstrators of trying to 'hijack the system' and said the protest effort was doomed to fail.