As Hong Kong protesters return, nearly 20 injured in clashes with police

Hong Kong: Hong Kong police clashed with protesters early today, with the government saying 20 people were injured in a fourth night of violence after nearly three weeks of largely peaceful pro-democracy rallies. Dozens of police with shields and helmets pushed into a crowd of protesters gathered at barricades in the northern district of Mongkok, striking at them repeatedly with batons. Some demonstrators had to be carried away on stretchers and others treated for head wounds, fractures and bruising, according to AFP journalists and medics at the scene. [caption id=“attachment_1763381” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Riot police advance on a pro-democracy protest encampment in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong early Sunday. AP [/caption] Police said in a statement that they had used “minimum force” as protesters “suddenly attempted to charge” their cordon lines. However, protesters told AFP they had done nothing to provoke officers. The city’s government information service said 20 people involved in protest activities had been injured between 10pm and 6am – but would not specify how many were demonstrators or police, the extent of the injuries, or if they all took place in the Mongkok area. Hong Kong has been rocked by rallies, which at times have drawn tens of thousands of people to three main protest sites in the city – the second-largest of which is Mongkok. AFP