54
PART III THE DISTURBANCES
fired at them. We questioned a senior police officer on this and he readily admitted that cinema crowds might have become involved as innocent by-standers. This was unfortunate but we are satisfied that an incident was taking place in the area and warnings given before tear smoke was used and the police could hardly be expected to distinguish between active and passive elements in the crowd when it was clearly their duty to prevent a serious breach of the peace.
186. Shortly after this, further reports were received of a crowd of about 100 in Argyle Street near Sai Yeung Choi Street and of a second crowd of about 200 at the junction of Nathan Road and Shantung Street to the south. Headquarter company dispersed these crowds and by 10.40 p.m. the area appeared quiet, apart from isolated incidents of stone throwing.
187. A 10.50 p.m. a report was received that a crowd of 1,000 at the junction of Nathan Road and Shantung Street, outside the King Wah restaurant, was stop- ping vehicles and throwing stones. At the same time a crowd of 500 was reported at the junction of Portland Street and Shantung Street scattering wood in the road: this would appear to have been part of the same crowd. Headquarter com- pany was ordered to move northwards from the last incident to engage this crowd. The police turned about and were stoned by the crowd at the junction of Nathan Road/Dundas Street and the company fired tear smoke, pushing the crowd northwards. At 11 p.m. Headquarter company had cleared Nathan Road up to Shantung Street and the crowd was retreating, although still hostile and throwing stones and other missiles at the police and attacking buses.
188. This was the major incident of this night involving a large crowd and it was described to us by two bus drivers, a cameraman and a reporter. The photo graphs at Plates 23 and 24 show a crowd of young people outside the King Wah restaurant starting to barricade the road and to stone the traffic. The photographer described them as curious by-standers, who, nevertheless were prepared to join in; when someone shouted 'let's throw' they would all start throwing.
189. A reporter in the same location described how the crowd grew spontaneous- ly from three or four persons to several hundreds: then a police car came past and some people threw stones: then the crowd quietened down: 'and then one young chap stood up in the crowd, walked into the middle of Nathan Road and picked up some kind of warning lantern. . . and kicked it . . . . and everyone shouted
.' Following this incident, he described attacks on buses and then attacks on press photographers. His impression was that the crowds in the street were smaller than usual and composed, he said, mainly of 'hawkers, children from poor families, street boys, unemployed'.
190. The bus drivers described how they had seen nothing unusual during their trips up and down Nathan Road until they ran into crowds at the Shantung Street junction between 10.40 and 10.50 p.m., who, before the passengers could alight, stoned the buses and broke all the windows.
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