HK police arrest 400 as HSBC branch targeted

Police arrested around 400 people in Hong Kong as anti-government protesters resumed their campaign in the new year, targeting HSBC in the process.

The two sides clashed at a New Year’s Day march as protests entered their eighth month. Organisers claimed an attendance of more than one million people. Those arrested were charged with illegally assembly and possession of offensive weapons.

Riot police fired teargas in the Wan Chai district after protesters threw objects at officers who had arrested several people for allegedly vandalising a branch of HSBC bank.

The bank finds itself becoming embroiled in the disobedience with some of its branches targeted and graffiti painted on the lion statues that guard its headquarters.

Some protesters accuse HSBC of supporting the authorities and denying activists access to fundraising to support their campaign.

Protesters claim HSBC's closure of an account held by a group called Spark Alliance, which helps pay protesters' legal costs is linked to the arrest of four Spark Alliance members on money laundering charges. The bank denied any connection.