Police crack down on Hong Kong protesters

Police violently detained protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday as thousands of people overflowed a central park calling for electoral reforms and a boycott of the Chinese Communist Party.

Sporting their movement's trademark black clothing and face masks, rally participants packed into Chater Garden, not far from the city's Legislative Council building.

Police gave approval for Sunday's rally, but not for a march that organisers also were planning, and violence erupted as police cracked down on protesters gathered in streets near the park.

Frictions between democracy-minded Hong Kongers and the Communist Party-ruled central government in Beijing came to a head last June.

A proposed extradition legislation sparked months of often violent mass demonstrations.

The bill - which would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial - has since been withdrawn.

But protests have continued for eight months around demands for voting rights and an independent inquiry into police conduct.