Riot police pepper spray Hong Kong's Mother's Day protesters

Riot police pepper spray Hong Kong's Mother's Day protesters

Hong Kong police fired pepper spray at pro-democracy demonstrators on Sunday.

Police had reportedly warned protesters that they were in violation of rules against group gatherings in place to fight coronavirus.

Video filmed this evening in Mong Kok shows chaotic scenes as police make arrests amid a melee.

Newsflare's filmer is pepper sprayed at around 5mins 9secs into the video.

"Police were very aggressive tonight," the filmer - a local journalist - told Newsflare.

"Before being pepper sprayed I was also stopped-and-searched.

He added: "Hong Kong protesters unsuccessfully called for a march from Tsim Sha Tsui to Mong Kok this afternoon.

The march was immediately thwarted by the rapid intervention of riot police on the wannabe protesters.

"Later in the evening, from 7 pm, incidents kicked off in the night in Mong Kok.

Protesters threw rubbish on side streets, playing a game of cat and mouse with the police.

In a later incident where I was present, riot police surged forward and arrested brutally a young boy of around 13/14.

"The treatment of the boy by the police incensed the crowd, which surged forward with the journalists who were covering the subject.

Riot police then used twice pepper spray at close range on the first row of journalists targeting the eyes.

I got affected too, as I was filming an individual getting arrested by the police during the incidents."