Rowdy scenes erupted at the main Occupy Central protest site in Hong Kong on Monday after hundreds of people opposing the pro-democracy occupation tried to tear down protest barricades.

Police formed a human chain to separate the protesters and people intent on breaking up their three-week long occupation of the Admiralty district, near the city's financial center.

Dozens of men, some wearing surgical masks, were seen jostling with protesters and demanding that police remove the barricades and clear the roads, according to live images from local television station iCable.

They were heard screaming at protesters, accusing them of damaging their livelihoods. The television commentator identified them as taxi drivers, transport industry workers and other people who said they weren't affiliated with any groups.

However, protesters could be heard yelling, "there are triads here," a reference to criminal gangs in the city known for controlling smuggling, prostitution and illegal gambling rings.

Police on loudspeakers called for calm, and eventually convinced protesters to form a corridor to allow their opponents to leave.

Earlier, police started to remove barricades from protest sites in Admiralty and Mong Kok, but issued a statement saying they were moving "obstacles" to relieve traffic "not to clear the scene."

Police "pushed back a couple of barricades, dismantling them," said CNN's Ivan Watson, from the Admiralty protest site earlier on Monday. He said the protesters had responded by moving their tents closer to the barrier but the streets had remained peaceful.

(CNN)