Hong Kong Protesters Clash with Police Amid Fears of Mob Violence – The New York Times

HONG KONG — Several districts of Hong Kong were again convulsed by mass demonstrations and street clashes on Sunday, amid concerns that local gangsters might try to assault protesters in a reprise of earlier violence.

The prospect of further street brawls between civilians lent a heightened sense of danger and uncertainty to protests that have continued for 10 consecutive weekends, prompted by fears about the erosion of civil liberties under Beijing’s rule in the semiautonomous Chinese territory.

Sunday’s civil disobedience began in the afternoon in Victoria Park, down the road from North Point, a traditionally pro-Communist neighborhood that has long been a stronghold for immigrants from the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian.

The rally, on Hong Kong Island, was authorized in advance by the police, and protesters had been expected to march east to North Point, the site of a mob attack last week. There was a heavy police presence in North Point on Sunday, and many stores there were shuttered.