Police used water cannon against crowds in Tsim Sha Tsui on Tuesday as they gathered to mark one month since Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam invoked emergency legislation to ban the use of masks at protests.

november 5 guy fawkes mask v vendetta Tsim sha tsui
Photo: Jimmy Lam, Benjamin Yeun/United Social Press.

Meanwhile, clashes broke out in Tseung Kwan O near the site where a university student fell from height at a car park. Riot police fired tear gas near midnight, as some protesters were spotted throwing Molotov cocktails.

november 5 guy fawkes mask v vendetta Tsim sha tsui
Photo: Jimmy Lam, Benjamin Yeun/United Social Press.

At around 7:30pm, hundreds gathered in Tsim Sha Tsui near the Urban Council Centenary Garden, with many wearing Guy Fawkes masks popularised in the film V for Vendetta.

november 5 guy fawkes mask v vendetta Tsim sha tsui
Photo: Jimmy Lam, Benjamin Yeun/United Social Press.

The film has become an inspiration for the city-wide protest movement, with many quoting lines from the film such as “People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people.”

november 5 guy fawkes mask v vendetta Tsim sha tsui
Photo: Jimmy Lam, Benjamin Yeun/United Social Press.

Aside from being one month after the mask ban was imposed, November 5 also marks the anniversary of the failure of the 17th-century Gunpowder Plot in the United Kingdom.

november 5 guy fawkes mask v vendetta Tsim sha tsui
Photo: Jimmy Lam, Benjamin Yeun/United Social Press.

Police said a large group of protesters occupied “Nathan Road, the junction of Chatham Road South and Austin Road as well as its vicinity,” paralysing traffic and vandalised shops.

november 5 guy fawkes mask v vendetta Tsim sha tsui
Photo: Jimmy Lam, Benjamin Yeun/United Social Press.

Targets of vandalism included the Hunghom Cafe – which protesters accused of being pro-government.

november 5 hung hom cafe
Hunghom Cafe. Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP.

The chain store Best Mart 360 and Bank of China were also graffitied.

november 5 hung hom cafe
Hunghom Cafe. Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP.

The water cannon truck arrived on the scene shortly after 9pm, firing liquid laced with irritant at crowds near the Hong Kong Museum of History.

november 5 hung hom cafe
Hunghom Cafe. Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP.

News footage showed that the water cannon also hit cars on the road that were stuck in traffic.

november 5 guy fawkes mask v vendetta Tsim sha tsui
Photo: Jimmy Lam, Benjamin Yeun/United Social Press.

Apple Daily reported that at least six women and one man were arrested in the Tsim Sha Tsui neighbourhood.

Protests first sparked by the now withdrawn extradition law have continued since June. They have evolved into sometimes violent displays of dissent against police action, calls for democracy, and anger over Beijing’s encroachment.

Tseung Kwan O tear-gassed

Separately, police clashed with protesters near Kwong Ming and Sheung Tak estates in Tsueng Kwan O, where crowds gathered to express discontent towards police over the case of a university student who fell from height.

tseung kwan o november 5
Police fire tear gas in Tseung Kwan O.

The 22-year-old University of Science and Technology student – who fell one storey at a car park on Sunday night – remained in a critical condition after multiple surgeries to remove haematoma from his brain. While the circumstances of his fall were unclear, many believe that he was trying to escape tear gas at the time.

Police representatives have denied allegations that the student was pushed by officers. They also said that officers did not delay paramedics from reaching the student, despite there being a near half-hour gap between the discovery of his unconscious body and him being taken away in an ambulance.

The police on Tuesday denied allegations that officers had pushed the student off the car park or had delayed the arrival of medical help.

tseung kwan o november 5
Police fire tear gas in Tseung Kwan O.

On Tuesday, police returned to Tseung Kwan O and fired tear gas at around 11pm, and again after midnight.

News footage showed that some protesters threw at least one Molotov cocktail, while others threw hard objects and chanted slogans. The crowds had mostly dispersed by around 2am.


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Holmes Chan is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press. He covers local news with a focus on law, politics, and social movements. He studied law and literature at the University of Hong Kong.