Hong Kong police use tear gas, pepper spray to disperse protesters on Christmas Day
Record ID:
1450173
Hong Kong police use tear gas, pepper spray to disperse protesters on Christmas Day
- Title: Hong Kong police use tear gas, pepper spray to disperse protesters on Christmas Day
- Date: 25th December 2019
- Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (DECEMBER 25, 2019) (REUTERS) POLICE FIRING TEAR GAS AND RUNNING (NIGHT SHOT) VARIOUS OF POLICE WRESTLING PROTESTERS TO GROUND (NIGHT SHOT) POLICE RAISING BLACK FLAG, READING (Chinese and English): "WARNING, TEAR SMOKE" (NIGHT SHOT) POLICE STANDING (NIGHT SHOT) POLICE SPRAYING PEPPER SPRAY AT PROTESTERS / PROTESTER BEING HELD DOWN TO GROUND PEOPLE STANDING AND LOOKING ON POLICE SPRAYING PEPPER SPRAY / PROTESTERS SLIPPING WOMAN BEING HELD DOWN ON GROUND SCUFFLE BETWEEN PROTESTERS AND POLICE POLICE CARRYING TEAR GAS LAUNCHER AND LOOKING ON PROTESTERS PUSHING AND SHOVING / MAN POINTING A SPRAY CAN POLICE HOLDING DOWN PROTESTER TO GROUND RIOT POLICE BARGING THROUGH AND SHOUTING POLICE STANDING WITH SHIELD ONLOOKERS FILMING ON PHONES (SOUNDBITE) (English) HONG KONG ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTER, KAY, SAYING: "Because we want the world to know that Hong Kongers are trying to lower the economic growth of the Christmas day. We are here not to destroy anything but we are trying to let everyone to know that we won't celebrate the Christmas because we want to protest even on this joyful day." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE MARCHING THROUGH DEPARTMENT STORE HALLWAY, CHANTING: "FREE HONG KONG, REVOLUTION OF OUR TIMES" CHRISTMAS DECORATION ON SHELF / PEOPLE MARCHING VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS COMING DOWN FROM ESCALATOR/HOLDING UP HANDS SYMBOLISING THE "FIVE DEMANDS"
- Embargoed: 8th January 2020 11:33
- Keywords: Christmas pepper spray protesters riot police tear gas
- Location: HONG KONG, CHINA
- City: HONG KONG, CHINA
- Country: Hong Kong
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA001BBH2FK7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hong Kong police fired tear gas and used pepper spray on protesters on Wednesday (December 25) to try to disperse crowds at Christmas-decorated shopping malls and nearby streets.
There were no major clashes, but with impromptu crowds forming to shout abuse at the deeply unpopular officers, who have been accused of using excessive force, police briefly fired tear gas in Mong Kok, a popular protest area.
Hundreds of protesters, dressed in black and wearing face masks, descended on shopping malls around the Chinese-ruled city, shouting popular slogans such as "Liberate Hong Kong! Revolution of our times!"
Police have described their responses to the unrest as reactive and restrained.
The protests started more than six months ago against a now-withdrawn bill which would have allowed extraditions to mainland China where courts are controlled by the Communist Party. They have since evolved into a broader pro-democracy movement, with demonstrators angry at what they perceive as increased meddling by Beijing in the freedoms promised to the former British colony when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
(Production: Mehmet Emin Caliskan, Ronn Bautista, Xihao Jiang, Joyce Zhou, Juarawee Kittisilpa, Masako Iijima) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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