Civil unrest occurred in Mong Kok, Hong Kong from the night of 8 February 2016 until the following morning. The incident escalated from the government’s crackdown on unlicensed street hawkers during the Chinese New Year holidays. Eventual violent clashes broke out between police and protesters, resulting in injuries on both sides. Some media outlets and social media platforms have opted for calling the event the “Fishball Revolution”, in reference to fishballs, a popular Hong Kong street food. The violence has been described by The Economist as “the worst outbreak of rioting since the 1960s.”
Background
Political context
After the 2014 protests, the popularity of Leung Chun-ying continued to be low, dropping slightly below the low point it had during the protests. His administration also received poor popularity ratings in a survey by HKPOP, an institute affiliated with the University of Hong Kong. The relationship between the Hong Kong Police Force, often referred to as “Asia’s finest” in the past, and the public also became strained mainly due to a number of controversies, including the beating of protester Ken Tsang by seven plainclothes officers in Admiralty, the indiscriminate clubbing of members of the public by superintendent Franklin Chu in Mong Kok during the 2014 protests and the considerable delay for them to be prosecuted.
The events of 2014 spawned a number of new activist groups with some taking an anti-government and militant stance. Hong Kong Indigenous, a localist camp party formed in early 2015, had previously been involved in violent clashes with police in several anti-parallel trading protests. The various localist groups hold a strong anti-mainland sentiment, generally with the view that the increasing political and economic integration of Hong Kong and Mainland China, as well as the influx of Mainland tourists and immigrants are undermining the autonomy and identity of Hong Kong.
Hawkers crackdown
The Chinese New Year holidays have traditionally attracted many unlicensed hawkers (street vendors), selling Hong Kong street food and other products, at popular locations including Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mong Kok and Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po. Despite operating without licence, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) had, in the past, not taken action against hawkers during the New Year holidays. However, in the years prior to the unrest, the FEHD had begun monitoring unlicensed cooked food hawkers during the Chinese New Year at night markets over fears of unsanitary practices, obstruction of roadways and general disruption. During Chinese New Year in 2014, FEHD staff conducted surprise inspections at Kweilin Street Night Market making arrests and confiscating stalls causing some public disquiet. However, shortly after the FEHD officers departed, the hawkers returned and a lively night market resumed.
In November 2014 Sham Shui Po District Council, passed a motion of “zero tolerance” towards unlicensed hawkers for the upcoming Chinese New Year. However, grassroots organisations complained that, due to the government’s refusal to issue new hawker licences or construct new markets, hawkers could only subsist by defying the law; they further asserted that Kweilin Street night market was enjoying a resurgence in popularity and a “zero tolerance” policy would only exacerbate grievances. During Chinese New Year in 2015, there were at least three groups giving vocal support to street vendors in Sham Shui Po with Hong Kong Indigenous embarking on a campaign of street cleaning to allay concerns over hygiene. In 2016, however, street hawkers were put under pressure by a citywide FEHD crackdown which drew discontent from locals.
From the evening of 2 February 2016, in the run up to Chinese New Year, hawkers in Tuen Mun who were setting up stall outside a mall near Leung King Estate, operated by Link REIT, were opposed by a group of masked men identifying themselves as “management” and claiming to represent The Link. These men later insisted that hawkers could no longer set up in or around the estate, so as not to affect the mall tenants. During the late night market, a number of incidents occurred but were not acted upon by police.
On the evening of 7 February, Chinese New Year’s Eve, tens of hawkers began setting up stall in Kwelin Street night market but were chased away by the FEHD. Sociology lecturer and activist Lau Siu-lai, wishing to provoke public debate over the hawker issue, acted in deliberate defiance of the FEHD and was arrested. Originally wishing just to enjoy the ambience of the street market, Lau was arrested when she began to help sell grilled cuttlefish in defiance of the FEHD officers and her arrest was ordered by the senior officer present. There was disquiet over her arrest at the scene, and a number of protesters immediately went to picket the Sham Shui Po Police Station where she was held. That night and through the next day activists began to contact hawkers to encourage them to set up stall in Mong Kok, and also began the online call for supporters to protect local Hong Kong distinctiveness.
Course of events
On 8 February, the first day of the Chinese New Year, FEHD officers attempted to patrol the side streets of Mong Kok. Hong Kong Indigenous called for action online to shield the hawkers, and by around 9 pm a few hundred had gathered and verbally assaulted the FEHD officers.
At around 10 pm, a taxi driving into Portland Street accidentally hit an old man. Protesters blocked the road and prevented the taxi from leaving. The Hong Kong Police arrived and surrounded the car, warning others not to get closer. The police left shortly after and returned with a portable podium for crowd control at 11:45 pm, this sparked anger in the crowd. Around midnight, violent clashes broke out between police and protesters as police urged them to clear the street. The police put on protective gear, including helmets and shields and used batons and pepper spray on the protesters, while some of the protesters, equipped with home-made shields, goggles, helmets and gloves, threw projectiles at the police.
At around 2 am, a traffic police officer was injured on Argyle Street. Protesters continued to surround the injured officer and attacking him with projectiles, prompting his colleagues to approach the scene to protect him. One such officer fired two warning shots into the air in an attempt to prevent further advancement of the protesters. Warning shots are not permitted in the Use of Force guidelines in the Police Force Ordinance. The scene descended into chaos as protesters charged the police line and engaged in scuffles and fighting with the police and tossed glass bottles and rubbish bins at them, at 2:30 am, more police arrived at the scene to disperse the protesters. The standoff subsequently moved to Nathan Road at 3 am.
At 4 am, the first of multiple fires was started in Sai Yeung Choi Street South, followed by three more ignited in the same street. Some protesters set fire to rubbish bins surrounding Shantung Street and Soy Street, including the junctions of Fife Street and Portland Street and of Nathan Road and Nelson Street, these were put out by the police and firemen. Both lanes of Nathan Road were blocked from south of Argyle Street and the Mong Kok MTR station was shut down.
At 4:30 am, the Special Tactical Squad were deployed in the intersection of Soy Street and Sai Yeung Choi Street South as a result of failure of combatant from the police force and the escalation of the rioters. They successfully cleared the protesters within 30 seconds. However after 5 minutes, due to lack of reinforcements, they were forced to fully fall back, with one constable injured.
At 7:15 am, protesters were dispersed from Soy Street near Fa Yuen Street, following a long standoff, after police officers of the Police Tactical Unit were deployed. Protesters gradually dispersed around 8 am. The streets in Mong Kok were calm by 9:00 am, and Mong Kok MTR station was reopened at 9:45 am.
A total of 61 people were arrested, including Edward Leung, spokesman of the Hong Kong Indigenous and candidate for the Legislative Council by-election. One of the members of Youngspiration, another localist group, was also arrested. 90 police officers and several reporters were also injured in the violence. The Hong Kong Journalists Association said that a Ming Pao journalist was beaten by a policeman despite declaring his identity. Reporters from broadcasters RTHK and TVB were also injured by protesters.