Outspoken Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai and two prominent opposition politicians were charged Friday with illegal assembly over a pro-democracy march last year as the territory's Beijing-backed government appeared to move to settle scores over the protests.

The crowd lining up recently on a cold, dark Hong Kong street wasn't part of the anti-government protest movement that rocked the semi-autonomous Chinese territory for months.

Hong Kong police used tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons against anti-government protesters over New Year's Eve and into the early hours of Wednesday, extending the months-long movement into a new year.

The Hong Kong seller of luxury watches looked on in horror as masked men wielding the biggest sledgehammer he'd ever seen smashed through the door of a neighboring watch store, held a machete to the owner's throat, scooped up hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of timepieces, and then scattered into the city's maze of streets.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday in a march seen as a test of the enduring appeal of an anti-government movement about to mark a half year of demonstrations.

A 70-year-old man has died in Hong Kong after being struck on the head during clashes between government supporters and protesters.