Police arrest nearly 50 accused of deviating from protest route amid march against mainland Chinese parallel traders in Hong Kong’s border town of Sheung Shui
- Thousands gathered in park and marched along main streets of town in action against groups who are seen as nuisance in neighbourhood
- Earlier, officers fired tear gas at a separate group of demonstrators who hurled petrol bombs at Sheung Shui Police Station
Hong Kong police have arrested nearly 50 people accused of deviating from an authorised protest route in the border town of Sheung Shui amid a march against mainland Chinese shoppers and parallel traders.
The rally on Sunday kicked off at a Sheung Shui park, with marchers taking to the main streets of the town in a movement against what they saw as groups who were causing a nuisance in their neighbourhood.
The area has many clusters of pharmacies and cosmetic shops, which were closed ahead of the march.
Parallel traders are those who buy products in the city and sell them at a higher price on the mainland for a profit. They include both mainland Chinese people and Hongkongers.
“Patriots should use China-made products, do not parallel trade!” the crowd chanted.
The march was organised by several district councillors from the Democratic Party and some residents’ groups. Organisers said about 10,000 people showed up, while police put the figure at 2,500 at its peak.
