Protesters vandalize shops in Hong Kong, police deployed

Violence broke out in the city’s western district of Tsuen Wan on Sunday after groups of masked demonstrators staged flashmob protests in multiple malls and at entrances to subway stations.

Hong Kong police said the protesters stormed the shops and restaurants in Tsuen Wan, pushing the tables and chairs on the floor and spraying paint on them.

Police were forced to use tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannon after the protesters started throwing petrol bombs and rocks at them.

Local media also reported that rioters vandalized a train station in Hong Kong’s Sha Tin district, and some others sprayed paint on the glass panels of shops in Kowloon district.

“Radical protesters have been gathering in multiple locations across the territories,” Hong Kong police said in a statement. “They have been loitering in several malls and vandalizing shops and facilities therein, neglecting the safety of members of the public.”

The latest violence came after thousands of people flooded Tamar Park in Hong Kong on Saturday night for a peaceful vigil to mourn the death of a university student who fell from a parking lot floor in unexplained circumstances during a police dispersal operation.

There are also calls on the internet for protesters to stage a general strike on Monday and block public transport.

The city has been rocked by a spate of turbulent street protests since June, when people — outraged by a proposed extradition bill — took to the streets across the city. The bill was later withdrawn, but the protests continued and took on an increasingly violent form.

Hong Kong has been governed under a “one-country, two-systems” model since the city — a former British colony — was returned to China in 1997.

The Chinese government says the United States and Britain have been fanning the flames of unrest in Hong Kong by supporting the protesters.