HONG KONG _ Hong Kong riot police fired tear gas at crowds in a popular shopping district on Christmas Eve as protesters took to streets and malls to demand greater democracy.
At about 9 p.m., the police used the gas to disperse protesters outside the Peninsula Hotel in the Tsim Sha Tsui district after making an arrest. Officers also clashed with protesters inside shopping malls, used pepper spray and made a few arrests. Hundreds of demonstrators, many wearing masks, turned up at multiple locations including Mong Kok, Causeway Bay and Yuen Long.
Hong Kong has endured more than six months of clashes between protesters and police, ignited by a proposed extradition law to allow fugitives to be sent to China to stand trial. The unrest has killed off any economic momentum, with the city entering its first recession in a decade. Though the bill was withdrawn, protests have persisted with more demands, including direct elections of the city's leader.
Protests will likely continue into the new year. Civil Human Rights Front, organizer of some of Hong Kong's biggest peaceful protests, is calling for a march through the city's center on Jan. 1. The organizer said it has applied for a police permit.
