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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
James Morris

Hong Kong protests: Further brawls erupt at shopping centre

Further brawls have erupted in Hong Kong.

Pro-democracy supporters clashed with pro-Beijing activists in a shopping centre on Saturday.

Hundreds of the pro-Beijing demonstrators had sung the Chinese national anthem, waved red flags and chanted slogans at the Amoy Plaza in Kowloon.

Opposing protesters quickly gathered there, sparking tensions as the two camps heckled each other.

Protesters fight in the Amoy Plaza on Saturday (Kin Cheung/AP)

It turned chaotic when groups of people traded blows, with some using umbrellas to hit their opponents.

Police later moved in, with several people detained.

Police detain a young man after fights broke out between pro-China supporters and anti-government protesters at the Amoy Plaza (Vincent Yu/AP)

Shops closed at the plaza after the brawls. The atmosphere remained tense as pro-democracy protesters slammed police, with some officers seen hitting detainees with batons to subdue them.

Local media showed minor scuffles continuing outside the mall as people left.

There were chaotic scenes at the Amoy Plaza in Kowloon (AFP/Getty Images)

The clashes, which came amid the mid-autumn festival holiday, followed several nights of peaceful rallies that featured mass singing by pro-democracy supporters.

Anti-government protesters chant near the Amoy Plaza (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

Protesters have refused to yield despite the government's promise to withdraw an extradition bill that triggered the protests months ago.

They have widened their demands to include direct elections for their leaders and police accountability.

Many saw the extradition bill, which would have allowed some Hong Kong suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial, as an example of Hong Kong's autonomy eroding since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Additional reporting by AP.

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