Tear Gas Sends Crowd Racing Through Victoria Park

Police fired multiple rounds of tear gas at protesters inside Victoria Park on Saturday afternoon after a crowd started building barricades next to an exit on Causeway Road.

Massive goalposts had been dragged to the frontline from a football pitch to help construct the barrier.

But riot police wasted little time in taking action against the protesters and the tear gas forced hundreds of people to rush into the park.

Inside, one protester held up a hose to provide water to those hit by the gas to wash their faces, with people taking turns to soak cloths or fill water bottles.

The crowd then quickly made their way out of the park, some clambering over railings to get away quickly as possible.

Some made their way to Yee Wo Street where they vandalised a Pacific Coffee store.

Protesters had gathered in the park despite a police ban on a protest rally there. Pro-democracy district council candidates had organised separate campaign rallies there to try to get around the ban.

A large number of people had earlier started marching from the park towards Central, with tear gas fired at them in Sogo in Causeway Bay, as well as in Wan Chai.