MOSCOW, November 26 (Sputnik) — Police in Hong Kong arrested 86 people while clearing the Mong Kok protest site amid ongoing demonstrations against China’s involvement in the coming 2017 elections, the government’s Information Service Department said in a statement Wednesday.
“Police have arrested 86 people during the Mong Kok protest site clearance yesterday [Tuesday], in which nine officers were injured,” said the statement published on the department’s website.
According to the website, protesters confronted the police and tried to block the roads using obstacles. Among the arrested were 77 men and nine women, who are accused of assaulting police, possessing weapons and participating in an unlawful assembly.
25 November 2014, 17:50 GMT
On Tuesday, bailiffs supported by local police began clearing two main roads in the Mong Kok district, following a High Court order to remove the barriers erected by protesters and to reopen the roads.
The Occupy Central mass civil disobedience campaign began in late September in Hong Kong, after Beijing announced its plans to limit the candidates for the 2017 Chief Executive election. Hong Kong people will only be able to vote for the candidates vetted by the standing committee of China’s national legislature.
