Several roads on Hong Kong Island will remain blocked on Tuesday

Hong Kong police have announced they will block vehicles on only one road in Tsim Sha Tsui for Tuesday’s Christmas Eve celebrations, following online calls for unlawful anti-government protests in the area.

Senior Superintendent Wong Wai-shun on Monday announced traffic would be blocked only on Kowloon Park Drive in Tsim Sha Tsui – a neighbourhood famous for its neon light displays and decorations – on Christmas Eve.

The announcement deviates from the long-established tradition in which police officers seal off almost the entire district, from the south of Salisbury Road to a large portion of Nathan Road to the north, for revellers to walk around.

But in recent months the shopping hub has been badly hit by the anti-government protests, which are now in their seventh month.

Wong said the force considered the arrangement to be appropriate after a full assessment of the intelligence it had gathered.

“More problems could arise if we block the roads,” he said, but added that police would make adjustments according to the situation on the ground on Tuesday.

Many roads commonly used by the festive crowd at this time of the year were earlier turned into protest battlegrounds. Shopping malls and arcades were caught up in clashes between protesters and police.

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