[Aljazeera] Small protests erupted in Hong Kong as hundreds of people gathered in several shopping centres to call for independence and the resignation of the city's Beijing-backed leader.The semi-autonomous Chinese city last year was rocked by months of often-violent demonstrations triggered by the introduction of a now-scrapped extradition bill. The demonstrations later morphed into a broader pro-democracy movement, but mass arrests and the coronavirus pandemic ushered in a period of calm in recent months.
But with Hong Kong successfully flattening its curve of COVID-19 infections, there has been a revival in anti-government protests over the last couple of weeks.
Small flashmob demonstrations broke out in at least eight shopping centres throughout Sunday, prompting riot police to rush in and disperse crowds of activists and shoppers on Mother's Day.
At least three arrests were made while groups of officers conducted multiple stop and searches.
Live footage also showed police issuing on the spot fines of 2,000 Hong Kong dollars ($260) to those allegedly breaching emergency anti-virus measures banning more than eight people gathering in public.
Authorities had banned an application for a march on Sunday, so small groups of masked protesters instead played a game of cat-and-mouse with police in different shopping centres, a tactic used frequently last year.