‘Dancing aunties’ spark new Hong Kong protest

Renewed confrontations broke out between police and protesters in Hong Kong yesterday evening -- this time sparked by anger over provocative “dancing aunties” who have long vexed local residents near the border with China.

In the latest flashpoint with authorities, hundreds of protesters blocked roads and chanted slogans at police in the northwestern district of Tuen Mun, a reporter on the scene said. Hong Kong has been rocked by a month of huge peaceful protests as well as a series of separate violent confrontations with police sparked by a law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China. On Monday its parliament was trashed by hundreds of masked, youth-led protesters in unprecedented scenes.

Anger towards police is running high after tear gas and rubber bullets were used against demonstrators. Yesterday’s rally had a much more local cause but feeds into Hong Kongers’ anxieties that the city’s unique freedoms and culture are being eroded by a resurgent Beijing.

A rally was held earlier in the day to “reclaim” a park in Tuen Mun where so-called “dancing aunties” have sung Mandarin pop songs through loud microphones and danced for generally older men who give them cash donations. Locals say authorities have failed for years to tackle noise complaints caused by the performers.