(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong’s central bar district returned to relative normalcy this weekend, with crowds of revelers taking advantage of eased social distancing rules even as fresh pro-democracy protests flared across the city.
While police largely left the packed bars alone, when it came to the activists, they aggressively enforced a coronavirus-related restriction on gatherings of more than eight people, with local media reporting the arrest and pepper-spraying of protesters. Officers on Sunday restrained a large group of journalists and made a number of arrests at a protest in the dense Mong Kok neighborhood on the Kowloon side of the city’s harbor.
Pro-democracy lawmakers said it was increasingly clear that the police have a double standard when it comes to enforcing the ban on large gatherings, and are using the remaining distancing restrictions to try and prevent the return of anti-government demonstrations while largely allowing other groups to gather with impunity. The Hong Kong Police Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
“It’s quite blatant that the police are selectively exercising their powers to use the ban of gatherings of eight people to suppress protests rather than to promote social distancing,” said opposition politician Fernando Cheung. “Many large congregations in front of bars or in shopping areas were tolerated, while congregations related to protests are quickly being declared illegal and people are ticketed or arrested. Such selective practice of law enforcement will only further anger Hong Kongers.”
The tumultuous weekend, which followed scuffles between lawmakers in the city’s Legislative Council Friday, underscored how deep divisions and political instability remain key concerns for Hong Kong going into a key election for the body in September. It could also fuel protesters’ concerns that social distancing measures enacted to contain Covid-19 will be used to keep them from gathering over the summer, after rallies all but disappeared amid the pandemic.
The government is attempting to get the city back to normal amid a deep recession fueled by months of violent protests and the virus pandemic. Authorities were successful in deploying early distancing measures and containing the virus’s spread, and most restaurants remained open even as cities around the world shut down. On Friday, they eased a ban on gatherings -- with groups of eight people now allowed, up from four previously.
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Despite leader Carrie Lam’s successes in containing the outbreak, the arrests in recent weeks of prominent pro-democracy figures has raised the ire of resurgent protesters. Beijing’s two main agencies overseeing Hong Kong have also argued for a greater role overseeing the city, while Lam and other pro-establishment politicians push for a controversial national security legislation and a law that would make it illegal to disrespect China’s national anthem -- moves that would likely spark more unrest.
“Beijing continues to blame Hong Kongers for the political instability and economic damage,” prominent pro-democracy campaigner Joshua Wong tweeted Monday. “But China’s unrelenting assault on Hong Kong’s freedom and legal autonomy guarantees that the resistance will continue.”
Weekend Rallies
Hundreds of protesters gathered in various locations over the weekend, with the largest on Sunday in Mong Kok. Some tried to light garbage bins on fire but were quickly dispersed by police, according to the South China Morning Post.
Dozens of demonstrators appeared in malls across Hong Kong, including the Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok, Taikoo Shing and Sha Tin districts, chanting anti-government slogans and singing protest songs. The police warned them that they were in violation of rules against group gatherings put in place to fight the coronavirus.
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Radio Television Hong Kong reported police arrested at least 10 people and fired pepper balls -- projectiles that contain irritants that are used to disperse crowds. A 12-year-old girl and a 13-year-old student reporter were among those taken away, the report said. On Sunday, police appealed to all protesters in a statement to stop gathering and leave immediately, or they would take enforcement actions “resolutely.”
The new round of demonstrations came after several other smaller rallies in recent weeks, leaving many in Hong Kong to wonder if this summer will see a repeat of last year’s months of unrest, which began in June over a now-dropped bill allowing extraditions to China and grew to include calls for greater democracy.
Hong Kong reported only three new coronavirus infections Sunday, all of them imported including from a recent repatriation flight from Pakistan, for a total of 1,047 confirmed cases. It hasn’t recorded a locally transmitted case for more than 20 days, and last saw a Covid-19 related death in mid-March. Still, its economy doesn’t have the scope to handle renewed protests that could interfere with the recovery, Financial Secretary Paul Chan wrote in a blog Sunday.
“The epidemic can be prevented and controlled, but violence is hard to stop,” Chan wrote. “In recent days, crowds and conflicts have reappeared in some areas, and even interfered with the operations of shops or malls. This is absolutely bad news for the already-weak Hong Kong economy, retail market, small shops and wage earners.”
(Updates throughout.)
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