Residents remove protesters' installations from Hong Kong

Residents in Hong Kong have taken to the streets to counter a wave of anti-government protests that have ravaged the Chinese territory for months.

Dozens of people started on Saturday to remove large mosaics of colorful posted notes with anti-government content, known as “the Lennon Walls,” from across the city.

The protest symbols are installed across the city, including at bus stops and shopping centers, under footbridges and along pedestrian walkways, during more than three months of unrest.

The move came after a legislator called for a Clean Hong Kong Day on Saturday, urging residents to pull down "Lennon Walls" of anti-government graffiti across the city.

Since June, Hong Kong has been beset by unrest over an extradition bill that would have allowed the extradition of suspects to mainland China courts for trial.

Although the government fully dropped that bill on September 4, protests persisted with individuals resorting to public violence by vandalizing government buildings and attacking police with bricks and Molotov cocktails.

Rioters, many of them masked and wearing black, were also recently seen throwing petrol bombs at police officers, who responded with tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets.

SS