This archive report was first published on 25 December 2019.
Christmas celebrations in Hong Kong were marred by clashes between police and protesters on December 25, 2019.
Police used pepper spray and tear gas to disperse crowds in multiple districts, including Mong Kok, where protesters had gathered to heckle officers.
According to an AFP reporter at the scene, police fired multiple rounds of tear gas to disperse the crowds.
Pepper spray was also used in at least two malls, where police and protesters clashed, resulting in the detention of multiple young protesters.
"Such illegal acts have not only dampened the festive mood but also adversely affected local businesses," Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam wrote on Facebook, condemning the Christmas Eve protesters as "reckless and selfish rioters".
Wednesday's skirmishes were less sustained than those on Christmas Eve, when battles between democracy activists and riot police swept through a major shopping district for hours.
That evening's unrest was the most serious in what has otherwise been a few weeks of comparative calm for a city upended by more than six months of often-violent protests.
Police used tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray on Christmas Eve in multiple locations, while protesters responded with throwing sporadic petrol bombs, blocking roads, and vandalising businesses deemed to be sympathetic to the government.
