Hong Kong protesters clash with police during anti-Chinese trader march in border town

Demonstrations reawakened by recent anti-extradition marches

A Hong Kong protest has descended into violence after police clashed with locals marching against the influence of Chinese traders in the autonomous territory.

Protesters rallied in the border town of Shueng Shui​ to demonstrate against Chinese “parallel traders” who bulk-buy duty-free goods in Hong Kong shops to sell across the border.

While the action began peacefully, it quickly devolved into skirmishes and shouting as protesters threw umbrellas and hard hats at police, who in turn swung batons and fired pepper spray at the crowd.

Some activists tore up road barriers and fences to use as barricades, which were later taken down by riot police armed with full-body shields. Images on social media appear to show several bloodied activists receiving treatment nearby.

Sheung Shui resident Ryan Lai, 50, said: "Our lovely town has become chaos.

"We don't want to stop travel and buying, but please, just make it orderly and legal. The extradition bill was the tipping point for us to come out. We want Sheung Shui back."

The march is the latest of a string of protests against the reach of China into the semi-autonomous territory.

The summer of unrest began on 31 March in the first of a series of demonstrations against a bill proposed by the Hong Kong government that would make it easier for people to be handed over to the mainland Chinese government.

The bill has since been described as “dead” by Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam – however protests have continued as residents push for wide sweeping change including the outright removal of the bill, the resignation of Lam and the introduction of a pure democratic system that distances the city from China.

Amy Chan, a 25-year-old bank employee who joined Saturday's march, said: "There isn't an anti-extradition protest every day to keep us going.

"I hope that through today's action, people in Hong Kong will not forget that there are actually many other social issues waiting to be solved."

The anti-cross border trader protests are one of a range of movements to have been reawakened by the anti-extradition marches, including a protest against so-called ‘Dama’ singers - middle aged women from mainland china who sing and dance in Hong Kong’s Tuen Mun park.

Thousands marched against the women, criticising them for singing loudly through amplifiers and dancing suggestively for money for an audience of predominantly older men.

The local authority has since banned entertainment zones in the park, enforcing a pre-existing rule that outlawed the use of loudspeakers in the area.

Additional reporting by agencies