PART III THE DISTURBANCES
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th were ringleaders and cheer leaders but no other signs of organization. At about thi 9.15 p.m. when several processions had joined together and were moving north the up Nathan Road, they were joined by youths leaving the Princess Theatre after ding the 7.30 p.m. show, and the whole west side of Nathan Road became blocked. ning The J.L.O. saw a police riot company, which must have been the Yau Ma Tei uart company, approach from the north and move into the crowd, arresting at least t of one youngster who had been carrying placards and acting in a disorderly way. nen. The procession dispersed and the police company left the area, but a large crowd beer stood around watching and when the police left, the cheer leaders and placard- ome bearing youths reformed their procession and headed north. Near Public Square nent Street the J.L.O. saw the Yaumati company again appear and disperse the crowd only after stone-throwing by youths. But, he said, at this time the crowd was in a happy and playful frame of mind, laughing and joking and the police were jeered and stoned all 'in good fun'. No organization was observed; when one boy throw a stone, several others joined in for the 'sport'. The large crowd on Public Square but Street then split into two main processions, one heading north, and the other south. ary They did not appear, he said, to have any particular purpose at that juncture
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other than to shout slogans and to attract attention. The one heading south was lice kept under observation by the J.L.O., who states that he saw a Government the Information Services Officer handing out leaflets about the Star Ferry increase, in which members of the procession appeared to take an interest and, as a result, as split up. The procession which had moved north seems, however, to have played the its part in creating a more menacing situation in Nathan Road, north of Public the Square Street, where the Yau Ma Tei company had been in contact with it.
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134. Incident at Sham Shui Po ferry. Before returning to that area, however, we will follow the second group of young men who had crossed from Hong Kong to demonstrate in Kowloon as mentioned in paragraph 129, in so far as we have nd been able to trace them. This was made possible mainly through the evidence of ol'
a newspaper reporter who said he first came in contact with these young men ns, about 8.15 p.m. at the Kowloon Star Ferry concourse where they were carrying ha banners opposing the ferry fare increase. He said a police superintendent told es- them it was illegal to stage a demonstration in Kowloon and advised them to return to the Island. This advice they apparently accepted and subsequently returned a to the Hong Kong side. The reporter speaks of eight young men at this time ut but these may well have included the four who were demonstrating a little earlier nd at Jordan Road and had been brought to the Star Ferry in the police land-rover. up A photograph of them on the return journey to the island appears at Plate 9. As he already recounted in paragraph 120, the reporter learned from them that earlier is in the evening they had raised their banners near the Sing Pao Building in North n- Point, whence they walked to Wanchai and along Hennessy Road to the Star to Ferry Pier, intending to hold a demonstration but, having been told they could not, crossed to Kowloon. The reporter followed them on their return to Hong
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