HONG KONG — Pushing, grabbing and cursing, hundreds of men sought on Friday to break up barricades set up by activists in Hong Kong streets they have been occupying over the past week in protests demanding greater democracy.

The scuffles in Kowloon’s crowded Mong Kok district, one of several areas where protesters have camped, were the most chaotic since police used tear gas and pepper spray last weekend to try to disperse protesters pushing for greater electoral reforms for the territory.

The democracy activists linked arms and held hands as they tried to stand their ground against the huge crowd. Police formed cordons and escorted some of the protesters away as hundreds of onlookers chanted, “Pack up!” and “Go home!”

It was unclear if the mob of people in their 30s and older trying to drive away the mostly younger protesters were organized. But at least some were local residents fed up with the inconvenience of blocked streets and closed shops. Stern orders by the police to stop blocking the way may have encouraged them to act on their own.

“It’s not about whether I support their cause or not. It’s about whether what they are doing is legal or not,” said Donald Chan, 45. “It is illegal. It has brought chaos to the city.”

Police were hard-pressed to keep order as the two sides tussled in a tense standoff. The people trying to force out the vastly outnumbered younger protesters were yelling, shoving and at times trying to drag them away.

Some people emerged bloodied from the fracas. Occasional heavy rain showers did not noticeably thin the crowds, and as the night wore on thousands of people still crowded the street.

The protesters, led by university students, said that if authorities did not act to protect the unarmed, peaceful demonstrators, they would retract an agreement to hold talks with the city government as proposed by Hong Kong’s leader, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.