Hong Kong protesters clashed with dozens of police using batons and pepper spray early Wednesday, in some of the worst violence since pro-democracy demonstrations began. The confrontation broke out during a police operation to clear newly erected barricades on a main road next to the city's embattled government headquarters. A wall of police armed with shields and batons marched before dawn on crowds clutching the umbrellas that have become emblematic of their fight for full democracy. Police used their fists and batons to beat back protesters who refused to retreat, aiming pepper spray in their faces in wild scenes. Others were pulled to the ground, handcuffed and hauled away by officers, and there were injuries on both sides. Police said that 45 people had been arrested in the operation, including 37 men and eight women. Within an hour police had regained control of Lung Wo Road, which sits just metres from the offices of Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chin-Ying, ending a short-lived occupation that protesters staged the day before. The violence was among the worst seen since the start of rallies that have drawn huge crowds calling for Beijing to grant the semi-autonomous city the right to hold free elections. China has insisted it will vet candidates standing for election as the semi-autonomous city's next leader in 2017 - a move protesters deride as "fake democracy". While the activists have been praised for their civility and organisational skills, they have also brought widespread disruption and traffic congestion to the financial hub, and tempers on all sides have begun to fray. A police statement said officers had warned that "advancing against police cordon line even with their arms raised is not a peaceful act", and had appealed to the demonstrators to "stay calm and restrained". The protests that have paralysed parts of the city over the last fortnight have largely been peaceful. But ugly scuffles have frequently broken out between demonstrators and government loyalists, sparking accusations the authorities are using hired thugs. Patience is running short in some quarters, with shop owners and taxi drivers losing business and commuters voicing irritation at extensive disruptions on the roads and on public transport. UPDATE: 15 October 2015 Hong Kong police charged over beating of democracy activist Seven Hong Kong police officers have been charged in relation to the beating of a protester during pro-democracy demonstrations in the Chinese-ruled city late last year that brought large parts of the financial centre to a halt. The officers were charged with one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, while one officer was also charged with one count of common assault, a police spokesperson said today. The officers will appear in court on Monday. The seven officers are accused of beating activist and Civic Party member Ken Tsang Kin-chiu. Footage of the attack in October last year went viral, sparking outrage from some lawmakers and the public. Protesters had been demanding full democracy for the former British colony and were also calling for Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leader, Leung Chun-ying, to step down. The weeks of protests failed to persuade Beijing to lift a restriction on who can stand for election as Hong Kong's leader in the next vote in 2017. China rules Hong Kong under a "one country, two systems" formula that accords the city a degree of autonomy and freedom not enjoyed in mainland China, with universal suffrage an eventual goal. - Reuters, October 15, 2015. UPDATE: 12/ 11/ 2015 Hong Kong activist takes police torture claim to UN HONG KONG - A Hong Kong activist allegedly assaulted by police during last year's pro-democracy protests said Wednesday he would present his case to a United Nations torture hearing next week. Footage of activist Ken Tsang being punched and kicked by police officers was beamed around the world at the height of the mass protests that brought parts of the southern Chinese city to a standstill last year. The video, aired by local television network TVB, showed a group of men hauling a handcuffed Tsang to a dark corner in a public park. One man stood over Tsang punching him while three others repeatedly kicked him. Seven police officers were charged with assault over the incident, while Tsang himself was also charged with attacking 11 police officers. Tsang, 40, said he would present his case at a UN Committee Against Torture hearing in Geneva next Tuesday. "Those seven policemen being accused should be charged with torture, not with common assault," Tsang told AFP. "We want to raise more pressure on the government on how they are handling the case," Tsang said, adding that the charges were only brought a year after the incident. Tsang has previously slammed allegations against him as "unreasonable and ridiculous", while the justice department has justified the assault charge against, saying he "splashed liquid from a plastic container" onto police. Democratic Party chairwoman Emily Lau, who will also attend the UN torture hearing, told AFP: "On a number of occasions the police used force to deal with the peaceful demonstrators, and that is very, very unacceptable. "They (Hong Kong government) don't want to be disgraced on an international stage... it is an important arena where Hong Kong is under international scrutiny," said Lau. At the height of the 2014 protests, which lasted for 79 days, tens of thousands of people regularly gathered to demand political reform in a major challenge to China's communist rulers. Thousands more joined the crowds after police fired tear gas in the afternoon of September 28, a move that shocked the public and galvanised the Umbrella Movement -- named after the umbrellas used to ward off sun, rain, tear gas and pepper spray. The democracy protests began after China's central government said it would allow a popular vote for Hong Kong's leader in 2017, but insisted that candidates be vetted. Hong Kong has been governed under a "one country, two systems" arrangement since it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997.