‘We fight for freedom’: Hong Kong protesters clash with police on Christmas Eve

Images posted to Twitter show bloodied protesters and heavy troop mobilization. The major clash came at Yuen Long mall in Tsim Sha Tsui, where police clashed with protesters, beating some with batons. Tear gas was fired by police at the protesters gathered in streets outside the mall.

“Lots of people are shopping, so it’s a good opportunity to spread the message and tell people what we are fighting for,” said an 18-year-old student named Ken. “We fight for freedom; we fight for our future.”

Video inside the mall showed one protester laying in a curled ball after jumping from the second floor of the mall to avoid arrest. On the streets outside, a water cannon was used to disperse protesters and press.

Protests escalated recently after Hong Kong’s bank HSBC froze $9 million worth of protester’s assets. The bank was vandalized by protesters on Tuesday.

Sunny Cheung, spokesman for Hong Kong Higher Education International Affairs Delegation, told South China Morning Post that the freezing of assets was “detrimental to Hong Kong’s status as an international financial hub.”

Tensions between the democratic hub and the Chinese Communist Party boiled over this summer after Hong Kong’s legislature submitted a bill that would have allowed the extradition of prisoners from Hong Kong to mainland China. The legislation was rescinded in October, but the protests have continued in the pro-democracy city.