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| Anti-government protesters wear masks during a Halloween march in Hong Kong. |
Hong Kong cleaned up its famed party zone Lan Kwai Fong on Friday after a night of clashes marred Halloween festivities when police fired tear gas at protesters and were heckled by fancy dress revellers.
The Asian financial hub faces another mass demonstration on Saturday, the latest in more than five months of unrest.
Black clad anti-government protesters, wearing the now banned face masks, mingled with Halloween revellers in the bar district of Lan Kwai Fong on Thursday. It was the first time the party zone had been targeted.
Since June, protesters have taken to the streets of Hong Kong in sometimes violent demonstrations in response to perceived Chinese meddling with the cityโs promised freedoms.
As colourful-costumed partygoers sipped their drinks, riot police with shields and batons pushed back crowds of revellers and demonstrators who shouted and swore at them to go away.
After a lengthy standoff police fired tear gas at protesters congregating below the Lan Kwai Fong strip in Central, lined with luxury shopping malls, banks and jewellery shops.
Police measures to bar people from entering the area has led to at least a 50% drop in business for bars and restaurants, Lan Kwai Fong Association Director Anthea Cheung said.
The association groups together over 100 restaurants, bars, clubs, retailers and service providers, its website shows.
โBefore Halloween was a great day with lots of people coming to celebrate the event but because of the special arrangement many people were blocked from entering the area and many outlets were empty,โ Cheung told Reuters.
Thursdayโs clashes come ahead of a pro-democracy afternoon march on Saturday from Victoria Park besides the shopping district of Causeway Bay to the Central business district.
The march has been banned by police due to safety concerns, but two pro-democracy rallies to be held in Central in the evening have received permits for people to congregate.
Protesters are calling for other cities including New York, Boston, Sydney and London to stand with them on Saturday in calling for China to fully respect Hong Kongโs autonomy as enshrined in the cityโs mini-constitution, the Basic Law.
ONLINE CURB
China will ensure Hong Kongโs prosperity and stability and protect national security in the face of unrest, the ruling Communist Party said this week after a key meeting of its senior leadership.
Protesters in Hong Kong say Beijing is interfering more and more in the Chinese territory and encroaching on freedoms guaranteed under a โone country, two systems formulaโ.
China denies meddling and has accused foreign governments including the United States and Britain of stirring up trouble.
On Thursday, Hong Kongโs High Court issued a temporary injunction banning people from posting or spreading messages online which โincites the use or threat of violenceโ.
The measure is the first time authorities have tried to curb the publishing of comments online, a move critics say sets a dangerous precedent for controlling the internet.
The ban, effective until Nov. 15, applies to any internet platform and specifically names LIHKG and Telegram, two popular tools that protesters use to communicate on.
The measure also comes as data on Thursday confirmed that Hong Kong slid into recession for the first time since the global financial crisis in the third quarter.
While the Sino-U.S. trade war has hurt the cityโs economy, the protests have dealt a further blow, crippling the retail and tourism sectors. Retail figures expected later on Friday are expected to be the worst on record.
REUTERS
