Police said they had arrested eight suspected members of triad criminal gangs over ugly clashes at ongoing pro-democracy protests Friday, with demonstrators saying the violence was orchestrated by paid thugs to stir up trouble and discredit the movement.
Amnesty International blasted police, saying officers "stood by and did nothing" to protect protesters, whose rallies have led to much of the city grinding to a standstill for the past week.
But China Saturday pointed the finger again at the democracy campaigners, accusing them of "daydreaming" over the prospect of change.
"The actions taken by Hong Kong police to handle Occupy Central are an inescapable necessity to preserve the rule of law," an editorial in Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily said.
It accused the protesters of acting illegally and destabilising the city.
"As for the very few who want, via Hong Kong, to import and instigate a 'colour revolution' in the mainland, they're daydreaming."
It was unclear why the editorial used the term "colour revolution" -- the Hong Kong protests have become know as the "umbrella revolution" after residents used them to protect against pepper spray.
The protests were triggered by China's announcement in August that while Hong Kongers can vote for their next leader in 2017, only candidates vetted by Beijing will be able to stand -- a decision dismissed as "fake democracy" by campaigners.
While the United States, Europe and Japan have all expressed their concern at the scenes playing out in the key Asian financial hub, China's Communist authorities have refused to make concessions.
Students had agreed to talks with the government in an eleventh hour decision on Thursday night as crowds massed outside central government offices demanding Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying resign.
But protest leaders called off the talks late Friday following chaotic scenes in the commercial hubs of Mong Kok and Causeway Bay.
There were widespread allegations of sexual assault in the packed crowds, with three girls seen being bundled into a police van in tears after apparently being assaulted at the Causeway Bay protest.
"There is no other option but to call off talks," said the Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS), one of several groups driving a campaign for free elections that has brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets of the semi-autonomous Chinese city.