Hundreds of Hong Kong police stood guard as authorities enforcing a court order tore down barricades in the Mong Kok district on Tuesday, after a tense face-off with pro-democracy demonstrators. A 20-person “removal team” cleared the juction of Argyle Street and Nathan Road in just 45 minutes. Team members encountered little resistance as they dismantled barricades and tents. The gritty, working-class area across the harbor from the main protest site at Admiralty has been the scene of some of the most violent clashes during two months of pro-democracy demonstrations in the Chinese-ruled city.