Traffic on Nathan Road and Argyle Street in Mong Kok was paralysed on Monday as protesters set up makeshift barricades and set them on fire at the intersection of the two thoroughfares.

The obstruction continued over two hours after it started, though police moved a water cannon into the area.

Only a small entrance remained open at the nearby Langham Place mall, where a lot of shops had closed early.

A 29-year-old Mong Kok resident, Zamen Hayat, said he couldn’t go to work on Monday because traffic was disruption. Despite that, Hayat said he supported the protesters’ fight for democracy.

"It is little sad. But they [protesters] are also right," he said. "It is [radical action]. But the government should listen to them, what they are saying to the government."

But an Australian visitor who was in the area said he thought the protests were not violent, unlike the recent "Yellow Vest" movement in France.

The man, who gave his name as Burgess, said he has been working on the mainland for years and visits Hong Kong regularly. He said he knows some young people on the mainland who sympathise with the protesters in Hong Kong.

He added that he supports the movement himself because he loves the city and hopes it can remain unchanged.

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Last updated: 2019-11-11 HKT 18:11