February 8, 2016: Night of mob violence in Mong Kok leaves Hong Kong on edge

Rioters lay siege to streets of Mong Kok after crackdown on unlicensed hawkers sparks violence

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Police confront rioters in Mong Kok during the clash over illegal food stalls during the Lunar New Year holiday. Photo: Edward Wong

Published: 9:30pm, 14 Jun 2022

This article was first published in the South China Morning Post on February 10, 2016. It has been republished online as part of Hong Kong 25, which looks at how the city has changed since the handover, and what its future holds.

By Stuart Lau, Chris Lau and Christy Leung

Hong Kong was in shock yesterday and remained on edge after overnight rioting on Monday in the streets of Mong Kok prompted police to fire shots in the air, left scores injured, and led to the arrests of 61 people.

Hundreds of people were involved in the anarchy that turned parts of Nathan Road, Shandong Street, Argyle Street and Nelson Street into burning war zones as rampaging protesters fought battles with outnumbered police and damaged public property on a scale of “organised” violence not seen even during the height of the 2014 Occupy Central campaign.

The rioting, which started after protesters objected to the eviction of food hawkers on the first day of the Lunar New Year, “cannot be justified by any remarks expressing toleration”, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said yesterday.

“I believe the public can see for themselves from TV news reports the seriousness of the situation,” he said. “The SAR Government strongly condemns such violent acts; the police will apprehend the mobs and bring them to justice.”

Police chief Stephen Lo said sharpened bamboo sticks, gas cans, bricks dug out of pavements and broken bottles were used to attack officers. Photo: Edward Wong