Official issues stark warning to protesters planning to target shopping and business districts

This article is more than 8 months old

This article is more than 8 months old

Hong Kong will end 2019 with multiple protests planned for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day aimed at disrupting festivities and shopping in the Asian financial hub, which has seen a rise in clashes between police and protesters since Christmas.

Events dubbed “Suck the Eve” and “Shop with You” are set for New Year’s Eve on Tuesday in areas including the party district of Lan Kwai Fong, the picturesque Victoria Harbour, and popular shopping malls, according to notices on social media.

A pro-democracy march on 1 January has been given police permission and will start from a large park in bustling Causeway Bay and end in the central business district.

The organisers, Civil Human Rights Front, were behind the peaceful million-plus marches in June and held a mass protest earlier in December, which they said about 800,000 people attended.

“On New Year’s Day, we need to show our solidarity ... to resist the government. We hope Hong Kong people will come onto the streets for Hong Kong’s future,” said Jimmy Sham, a leader of the group.

The protests began in June in response to a now-withdrawn bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, where courts are controlled by the Communist party, and have evolved into a broader pro-democracy movement. Police said they would deploy crowd-control patrols on Tuesday and urged marchers on Wednesday to remain peaceful.

In a Facebook post, police commissioner Chris Tang thanked his frontline officers for guarding Hong Kong’s “safety and stability”, and issued a warning to protesters: “If you use violence, you will not get public support. We, police, will do all we can to arrest you.”

The demonstrations planned over new year follow an increase in clashes since Christmas Eve, when riot police fired teargas at thousands of protesters following scuffles in shopping malls and in a prime tourist district.

While the protests – now in their seventh month – have lessened in intensity and size in recent weeks, marches or rallies continue to occur almost daily.

Hundreds of people gathered in the Central district on Monday night to remember people killed or injured during the protests.

More than 2,000 protesters have been injured since June.

While there is no official count of deaths, student Chow Tsz-lok died after a high fall during a pro-democracy rally in November. Multiple suicides have also been linked to the movement.

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“For most Hong Kong people, Christmas and New Year’s don’t mean anything to us any more,” said Roger Mak, a 35-year-old who attended Monday’s rally.

“What we’re fighting for is our future,” he said, adding that he planned to attend both protests scheduled this week.

Police arrested 34 people over the weekend and used pepper spray to break up a gathering aimed at disrupting retail business near the border with mainland China.

More than 6,000 protesters have been arrested since challenges began to the extradition bill, seen as an example of meddling by Beijing in freedoms promised to the special administrative region when Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997.

China denies the claims, and says it is committed to the “one country, two systems” formula put in place at that time. Beijing blames foreign countries including Britain and the United States for inciting unrest.

The protests have battered Hong Kong’s economy, already reeling from the fallout of the US-China trade war.