Hong Kong police held over 400 protesters, one of the largest arrests in single day

Nearly 400 pro-democracy protesters were detained by police authorities in Hong Kong after New Year's Day demonstrations. According to international media reports, the arrests made on January 1 were one of the largest arrests in a single day since the unrest rocked the former British colony in June 2019 making the total count of detainees to at least 7,000. What started as a peaceful anti-government protest with tens and thousands of people marching the streets escalated into chaotic scenes with police firing tear gas in order to disperse the crowd.

The demonstrators are reportedly arrested under the charges of illegal assembly and possession of offensive weapons. The tensions between the protesters and police authorities rose after some arrests were made in the Wan Chai bar district near a branch of global banking group HSBC which has also been the target of protester's anger in the recent weeks. 

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Some arrests were also made on the New Year's Eve when demonstrators briefly occupied a major road on the Kowloon peninsula as crowds of thousands counted down to midnight along the Victoria Harbour. Reportedly, some protesters allege the HSBC was complicit inaction by the authorities against the activists who tried to raise money in support of their campaign, however, the bank has denied any involvement. 

Read - Massive Hong Kong Pro-democracy Rally Ends In Police Clashes

Violent clashes in Hong Kong

The months-long democracy protests have witnessed an increase in violence from both the sides, the demonstrators as well as the authorities. According to a government official, the police were 'deploying the minimum necessary force' when on New Year's they used tear gas, pepper spray and a water cannon to disperse the crowd. Senior Superintendent Ng Lok-Chun told the reporters that 'rioters' hijacked the protest march and endangered police officers by surrounding and throwing objects at them which led to police ordering the rally to be called off at 6:15pm (local time). 

The organisers claimed more than a million people gathered for Wednesday's rally, which had approval from the authorities, and marched across the international financial hub's main island in an attempt to put pressure on the government to meet their demands. 

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(With agency inputs)