Hong Kong: police adopt tough tactics as protests escalate

Thousands of activists have clashed with police in Hong Kong after they tried to encircle government headquarters in the city overnight, reports the BBC.

Leaders of the pro-democracy campaign in the Admiralty neighbourhood announced last night that they would escalate their campaign, leading to some of the worst unrest in two months of demonstrations.

Police say 45 people were arrested and at least 11 officers injured after protestors fought with officers armed with pepper spray, water hoses and batons. Many protestors had thrown bottles, helmets and umbrellas towards police.

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The fresh disturbance came after four nights of clashes in the working-class district of Mong Kok, across the harbour from Admiralty. According to the BBC’s Beijing correspondent, the authorities are now determined to take a hard line after two months of gentler approaches.

The activists want the people of Hong Kong to be permitted to choose their leaders in the 2017 elections without any interference from the Chinese government. Beijing has said it will allow universal suffrage, but insists on pre-screening candidates for the chief executive post.

The Hong Kong rallies drew more than 100,000 on to the streets at their peak, but numbers have since dwindled. An increasing number of local residents believe the protests are causing too much disruption.

China said last week it would not allow a UK parliamentary committee to enter Hong Kong as part of an inquiry into British relations with its former colony.

Hong Kong: protest leaders arrested as police demolish sites

26 November

Police in Hong Kong have arrested scores of pro-democracy campaigners following a court-ordered clearance of large protests sites across the city.

Bailiffs were backed by police wearing riot helmets and goggles who used batons and pepper spray to remove protesters from the Mong Kok site, the BBC reports.

More than 80 people were arrested, including two of the movement's student leaders, Joshua Wong and Lester Shum. Alleged offences ranged from contempt of court to assaulting and obstructing law enforcement officers.

"If you resist you face possible imprisonment. We warn you to immediately stop resisting," police told the crowds of activists. Up to 4,000 officers are believed to have been involved in the operation.

They were also helped by local volunteers wearing "I love HK" t-shirts. Recent polls showed that the majority of people in Hong Kong want to see an end to the months of disruption caused by the camps.

The main protest camp in the city's financial district, however, remains intact with hundreds of tents continuing to block the busy roads.

The two month long "Occupy Central" movement has been the largest act of defiance against China's regime for the last 25 years. The protests, at their peak involving up to 100,000 pro-democracy campaigners, had waned in recent weeks amid evidence that the movement was splintering. Some groups had been calling for tougher action while others remained committed the movement's ethos of non-violence.

"It's not the end," one activist told Reuters. "We still have plan B; either to occupy other places or to step up other action."

Hong Kong: support for protests wanes as police begin clear-up

20 November

The majority of people in Hong Kong want to see an end to the months of disruption caused by pro-democracy protests across the city, according to a new poll.

It showed that 68 per cent of respondents want the police to clear all of the protest camps blocking major roads in the city as a matter of urgency, Bloomberg reports.

Police and bailiffs have already begun to enforce court injunctions by clearing some sites in the city, pledging to disperse protesters from the main Mong Kok district soon.

Yesterday, Police Chief Superintendent Hui Chun-tak vowed to take "resolute action" against anyone attempting to interfere with the clearance.

The protests, calling for Beijing to withdraw plans to vet candidates at Hong Kong's next leadership election, have been the largest act of defiance against China's regime for the last 25 years. At their peak, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to demand democratic change.

However, the crowds have dwindled in recent weeks as protesters failed to reach an agreement with the government. A disagreement within the group about its commitment to non-violence has also begun to undermine the movement.

Yesterday, four men were arrested after a group of protesters used metal barricades and concrete slabs to force their way into the city's legislature in response to the police clearance.

The move was immediately condemned by organisers. One pro-democracy legislator, Fernando Cheung told the New York Times that he was "furious" about the use of violence.

"It's a blow to the whole movement, making our path forward more difficult," he said. "In the past 53 days of the movement, it has been extremely peaceful, and Hong Kong people are proud of that."

But others within the group argue that peaceful protests have achieved nothing and a change in tactics is needed. "If we keep sitting here, doing nothing, nothing's going to change," said one of the men involved in storming the government building.

Hong Kong protests: China 'ready to talk'

16 October

The Chinese government is prepared to enter into talks with pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong next week, according to the territory's chief executive Leung Chun-ying. However, he also said that police would continue to "restore order" on the streets of Hong Kong, the BBC reports.

His announcement comes after yesterday's violent crackdown by riot police trying to disperse protesters occupying large parts of the city. Footage aired on local television showed one demonstrator in handcuffs being beaten and kicked by police.

The authorities criticised the "radical protesters" for behaving in an "aggressive manner".

Previous talks between the protesters and Chinese officials had been scheduled for earlier this month, but were cancelled by Chief Secretary Carrie Lam who said constructive dialogue would be impossible.

The protests, now in their third week, had dwindled in size in recent days but appear to have been boosted by yesterday's violent clashes, where at least 45 activists were arrested.

The US government is calling for a "swift, transparent and complete" investigation into the beating of the political activist by police, Time reports.

"We renew our call for the Hong Kong government to show restraint, and for protesters to continue to express their views peacefully," said US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, adding that Washington was "deeply concerned" by the reports of police brutality.

David Cameron echoed those calls by asking China to respect the agreement it signed with Britain in 2007 and guarantee the people of Hong Kong their democratic rights and freedoms.

However, an editorial in the state-run Global Times newspaper criticises the US for supporting the protesters and says Obama "will not stand a chance" in "openly confronting China over Hong Kong affairs".

In another development, the Chinese government has blocked major news sites, including the BBC, in what the broadcaster is calling an act of "deliberate censorship".

Peter Horrocks, director of the BBC World Service Group told Reuters: "The BBC strongly condemns any attempts to restrict free access to news and information and we are protesting to the Chinese authorities."

Hong Kong protests: violent clashes as police move in

15 October

Hundreds of Hong Kong police wearing riot gear clashed with student protesters as they drove them from an underpass last night, in some of the worst violence since the pro-democracy demonstrations began.

Police broke down barricades and used pepper spray to disperse the protesters occupying Lung Wo Road – a major thoroughfare near government headquarters. Dozens of people were arrested.

Footage aired on local television showed a protester in handcuffs being beaten and kicked by police.

Police spokesman, Tsui Wai-Hung said: "I have to stress here that even though protesters raised their hands in their air it does not mean it was a peaceful protest." According to Tsui, some demonstrators kicked police officers and hit them with their umbrellas.

The scuffles came amid "increasing impatience in Beijing over the political crisis", The Guardian says. A front-page editorial on Wednesday in the People's Daily, the newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, said that protesters had been "attacking the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government", but that ultimately the demonstrations are "doomed to fail".

"Facts and history tell us that radical and illegal acts that got their way only result in more severe illegal activities, exacerbating disorder and turmoil," the editorial said, arguing that political views should be expressed "via legal channels".

"Stability is bliss, and turmoil brings havoc," it added.

Demonstrators have been protesting for more than two weeks, calling for completely free elections in the next vote for the territory's leader. While China does not directly control Hong Kong's politics, it vets which candidates can stand in elections.

Student spokeswoman Yvonne Leung told the BBC: "The police tactics will only prolong the protests".

The number of protesters may have dwindled significantly since its peak of about 100,000 last week, but a "hardcore" of students and Occupy Central activists remain determined to continue their demonstrations.

"I don't think the protesters, having suffered tear gas, endured the attacks by the anti-occupy people, I don't think they will just surrender unconditionally and leave," Joseph Wong, political analyst at the University of Hong Kong told the Daily Telegraph.