Dozens of riot police have stormed into a Hong Kong mall and detained a number of pro-democracy protesters as marchers took to shopping centres asking Christmas shoppers to join them.
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According to public broadcaster RTHK, the protesters gathered at the shopping mall in Tai Po district as a part of their ongoing protests and shouted slogans including "liberate Hong Kong", "Revolution of our times" and "Disband the police immediately".
The protesters urged the shoppers to join a planned January 1 march called by Civil Human Rights Front, the organiser of some of Hong Kong's biggest protests over the past few months.
The authorities have not approved the front's protest rally for New Year's Day.
The demonstration at the Tai Po shopping mall on Boxing Day was dispersed quickly by a massive police deployment across the building even though the protest was peaceful.
Several shops and restaurants brought their shutters down amid the chaos as several protesters marched through before being detained.
The shopping protest entered its third day on Thursday and according to the South China Morning Post, the protesters tried to disrupt the holiday business of those perceived to be pro-Beijing.
Clashes between protesters and police took place at several shopping centres on Christmas Day during which several demonstrators were arrested.
The police on Wednesday fired tear gas and pepper spray at protesters inside some shopping centres of the city.
Protests also took place on Christmas Eve when more than 100 marchers were detained and at least 25 injured in clashes with police.
In a statement released on Wednesday night, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said: "Such illegal acts have not only dampened the festive mood but also adversely affected local businesses."
She stressed that the government would try its best to uphold law and order, and restore peace in the city.
Meanwhile, China's official news agency Xinhua in a report criticised protesters for dashing the hopes of "Hong Kong residents to have a peaceful holiday".
The report warned of the repercussions of the protests on the job market and the economy of the city, one of the biggest business hubs in Asia.
The months of protests have put Hong Kong's economy in recession for the first time in a decade, having contracted by 2.9 per cent in the third quarter, due to falling imports and exports, retail sales and declining tourism.
Demonstrations in Hong Kong began in June following a controversial extradition bill, already withdrawn by the government, but have mutated into a movement seeking to improve Hong Kong's democratic mechanisms and safeguard the region's partial autonomy from Beijing.
Some demonstrators have opted for more radical tactics rather than peaceful civil disobedience, and violent clashes with the police have been frequent.
Australian Associated Press
