Hundreds of anti-government protesters used the spooky Halloween night as a pretext to don masks for their routine demonstrations in Hong Kong on Thursday
BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st October, 2019) Hundreds of anti-government protesters used the spooky Halloween night as a pretext to don masks for their routine demonstrations in Hong Kong on Thursday.Police said they had to fire tear gas at a rowdy crowd in the busy shopping district of Mong Kok, who wore masks in defiance of a city-wide face covering ban. More party-goers gathered in Lan Kwai Fong entertainment district.
Tensions flared as night fell. Violent protesters started building barricades and setting them ablaze, according to a police statement.
"Rioters built barricades and set them on fire on Dundas Street and Nathan Road in Mong Kok. A fire engine was summoned to the scene but was once obstructed by rioters and could not proceed," it read.
The face mask ban was imposed after months of violent rioting devastated parts of the autonomous Chinese city following an attempt by a local legislature to pass a bill on extradition to the mainland.
Protesters face hefty fines and up to a year in jail for defying the ban. Party-goers used face paint to avoid the penalties, but police were authorities to wash it off if they suspected Halloween celebrations were used as a front.
