Rallies were held across Hong Kong on Monday in support of a city-wide strike, prompting renewed violent scenes as police confronted some of the demonstrators.
Police fired tear gas and attempted to disperse protesters gathered at Tin Shui Wai police station in the New Territories and later at a separate protest in Kowloon’s Wong Tai Sin district.
Overall, demonstrations were being held in seven districts across the city, according to a strike coordinator. Protesters also began to occupy streets in four different districts.
Earlier on Monday, a car drove into a crowd of protesters in Yuen Long, a district that has seen a number of violent clashes and attacks, and attempted to drive through protester barricades according to video footage shared on social media.
Protesters dragged the driver from his car before a melee broke out near the scene of the accident.
Hong Kong police have arrested 420 people since June 9, they said on Monday, after protests in recent months that rocked the former British colony and plunged it into its worst political crisis in decades.
Police have also fired 1,000 rounds of tear gas and about 160 rubber bullets since June 9, they added.
The news comes as a general strike on Monday plunged Hong Kong into fresh chaos, paralysing transport and bringing the city to an unprecedented standstill for much of the morning. (dpa/NAN)