Hong Kong police break up clashes between rival protesters

Hong Kong police have been forced to intervene after scuffles broke out between pro-and anti-government protesters as they held fresh demonstrations across the semi-autonomous city.

The violence erupted on Saturday after anti-government protesters began chanting a popular protest song while pro-Beijing supporters were holding rival gatherings to sing China's national anthem in and around a shopping mall in the Kowloon Bay district of Hong Kong.

Pro-government protesters in the surrounding streets were complaining about perceived Chinese meddling in Hong Kong. However, Beijing supporters waved the Chinese flag to show their backing for mainland China.

Multiple videos posted online showed brawls between groups of men assaulting younger victims with large flags on poles, with terrified onlookers running away from the scene.

Hong Kong police with shields and helmets later rushed into the mall and ended the fights. Some protesters from both sides were seen being detained outside and inside the mall by police.

Anti-government protesters are scheduled to gather outside the British Consulate on Sunday, demanding that China honor a Sino-British Joint Declaration signed in 1984, which lays out the former British colony's future after its return to China in 1997.

The protests initially began in June over a bill, which would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China.

The bill was suspended later that month in the wake of the unrest. The protesters have, however, rejected the suspension, calling for a full withdrawal of the measure, which critics say would undermine Hong Kong’s legal freedoms and serve as a tool to stifle critics of Beijing.

SS