ATTACKS IN NORTH POINT, TSUEN WAN
Top News | Cindy Wan and Phoenix Un 6 Aug 2019Cindy Wan and Phoenix Un
White-clad men armed with rattan sticks proved to be no match for umbrella-armed protesters in North Point, and were forced to retreat last night.
Men in blue shirts also attacked protesters with iron rods in Tsuen Wan - in scenes reminiscent of the July 1 attack by thugs in white shirts in Yuen Long - injuring at least one demonstrator.
The protesters, mostly clad in black, arrived in North Point, traditionally a stronghold of pro-establishment supporters and former mainlanders, before 8pm.
Rumors were already circulating online that white-clad men with rattan sticks were waiting for them near the MTR North Point Station.
About 30 men in white finally showed up on King's Road in North Point. But unlike the attack on July 21, protesters resisted by throwing umbrellas and rubbish at the men, who were outnumbered and retreated.
No police were seen.
In Tsuen Wan, gangs of men in blue were equipped with iron pipes. They were spotted patrolling along streets and attacked protesters last night.
At 10pm in Sham Shui Po, a reporter suffered head injuries when she was hit by tear gas. She apparently fainted and lay in the street bleeding from a head wound.
Earlier, police raised a black flag before firing tear gas when hundreds of protesters held a rally in MacPherson Stadium at Mong Kok, but they soon occupied Sai Yi Street and Shantung Street.
Another journalist from Tai Kung Pao was held by police when he tried to reason with them over the injured newswoman. But he was later released in what police called a misunderstanding.
The Tsuen Wan assembly did not have a police permit.
Protesters then turned to Tsuen Wan police station at 5pm, throwing eggs and stones at it, and sprayed the word "triad" on its wall. Soon afterward, police fired tear gas from inside the station.
Protesters later set up barricades in Tai Ho Road in Tsuen Wan when Putonghua-speaking men in blue shirts with "I love Hong Kong" logos beat a black-clad man, leaving him bleeding.
Many of the protesters in North Point had been taking part in a rally in Admiralty yesterday when they walked out of Tamar Park to occupy Harcourt Road at about 3pm, moving water-filled barriers and fences to block the road. They then moved to occupy Connaught Road Central and Tim Mei Avenue.
Police raised the black flag from behind the water barriers at government headquarters before firing tear gas toward Harcourt Road.
Some protesters started walking eastward along Harcourt Road and arrived in Causeway Bay at 6pm. They occupied Hennessy Road outside Sogo department store. More and more protesters walked eastward and some of them blocked several lanes of the Cross Harbour Tunnel.
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