Hong Kong: police adopt tough tactics as protests escalate

Hong Kong protests subside: what happens next?

6 October

The number of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong dwindled today following a week of demonstrations, raising questions over what will happen next.

Hundreds of protesters defied a deadline set by the city's chief executive Leung Chun-ying to disperse by dawn, but the numbers were nothing like the tens of thousands that paralysed parts of the city over the last week.

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Leung warned on Saturday that police would take "all necessary actions" to restore social order if protesters failed to leave the streets by Monday morning, prompting speculation that tear gas and rubber bullets would be used. Some even feared a repeat of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 that left hundreds dead.

But this morning civil servants were able to return to their offices, which had previously been blockaded, and many secondary schools have been reopened.

Commentators suggested over the weekend that scaling down the demonstrations would be a prudent move if protest organisers wanted to keep the general public on side. "The students and the other protesters have had a lot of support up to now," said Mike Rowse, the former head of Hong Kong's foreign investment department. "But I think the tide will start to swing the other way if the problem goes on much into next week."

Student protest leaders have apologised to the public for the inconvenience but vowed to continue the sit-ins while a framework for talks with the authorities is agreed.

Alex Chow, a student leader, said he was not worried about the crowd dwindling. "People need rest, but they will come out again," he said. "It doesn't mean the movement is diminishing. Many people still support it."

One leading politician in Hong Kong suggests the city could face "decades of unrest" unless China allows real democratic reforms. "Almost 95 per cent of the crowd that has gathered every night for seven nights is between 15 to 25 years old," Alan Leong, the leader of the pro-democratic Civic party, told the Daily Telegraph. "These people will be around for a long time. They will be masters of Hong Kong for the next 40 to 50 years."

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.

"Whatever the outcome of Hong Kong's protests, it's a historic turning point in the fight for Chinese democracy," writes Chinese exile Ma Jian in The Guardian. Each protester may represent "a single drop of rain", but they "converged this week to become an unstoppable river of democracy", says Ma. "The river will flow again, despite efforts to block it, and will one day, perhaps this year or many years from now, surge across the border all the way to Tiananmen Square."

But in the Washington Post, Akos Lada suggests this is exactly why China will not back down. Research suggests that policies and institutions often spread between countries with cultural and ethnic ties, he says.

"If Hong Kong can demonstrate how to make democracy work, it is easy to imagine that it could also work in China," says Lada. "The authorities in Beijing may believe they have no choice other than to deny free elections in Hong Kong: the dictator of a divided country risks too much by allowing a democracy to thrive beside him, providing citizens with a stark contrast to his oppressive regime."

Hong Kong protests: leaders agree to talks amid stand-off

03 October

Hong Kong's leaders have finally agreed to talk to protesters, averting a potentially violent confrontation in the city overnight, but activists appear unwilling to return home.

Yesterday student demonstrators threatened to occupy government buildings if the embattled chief executive Leung Chun-ying did not resign by the end of the day.

With minutes to go before the midnight deadline and with students surrounding his office, Leung announced that his chief secretary Carrie Lam was willing to hold talks with the protesters.

Although Leung refused to step down, his announcement was "the first hint of conciliation from the city's Beijing-backed government since the stand-off began", says the Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper notes that Hong Kong's leaders are under pressure to resolve the crisis, with the city's stock market reopening to another decline this morning and tourist arrivals seven per cent lower on Wednesday, China's National Day holiday, compared with a year earlier.

Beijing has thrown its full support behind Leung, calling the protests "illegal" and "doomed to fail". Tensions increased yesterday after police were reportedly spotted restocking anti-riot equipment, including rubber bullets and crates marked "corrosive".

Protesters, who want Beijing to withdraw its decision to vet candidates for the 2017 Hong Kong election, continued to block the entrance to Leung's office this morning.

Crowds thinned, but are likely to build up again if protesters are not given a time frame for the talks with chief secretary Lam, says the WSJ.

The protest movement, known as the umbrella revolution, has swelled over the last week, with rallies popping up in other parts of the city.

The Hong Kong Federation of Students, one of the main protest groups, urged the government to set a time for a public meeting and called for a continuation of the occupation. Occupy Central, another protest group, said it hoped that talks can provide a "turning point in the current political stalemate".

Hong Kong protests: China warns of 'unimaginable consequences'

2 October

China has warned of "unimaginable consequences" if Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests continue, reports The Independent.

Condemning what has become known as the umbrella revolution as "chaos", China's state media have come out strongly in support of Hong Kong chief executive CY Leung.

In a front-page editorial, the People's Daily praises Leung's handling of the uprising, and an editorial read on China's state TV has called for people to support the government's efforts to "deploy police enforcement decisively" and "restore the social order in Hong Kong as soon as possible".

However, student activists, who are protesting over China's plan to vet candidates for polls in 2017, have threatened to occupy government buildings if CY Leung does not resign by the end of today.

Police have warned they will take action if the students attempt to enter state property.

"The police will not stand by and watch," a spokesman said. "We will decisively uphold the law."

Asked if tear gas would be used, he said the authorities would monitor the situation and would use "appropriate force if necessary". Reports on social media suggest that police have been seen restocking their ranks with crates marked "corrosive".

Overnight, hundreds of people gathered outside CY Leung's office as 50 police officers stood guard behind metal barriers.

US secretary of state John Kerry says he has "high hopes" that authorities will use restraint. David Cameron told Sky News he was "deeply concerned" about the situation in the former British colony.

Hong Kong braces for huge pro-democracy protests

1 October

Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters are out on the streets of Hong Kong for China's National Day, in what looks set to be one of the biggest ever demonstrations in the city.

Protest leaders last night warned that they would step up their actions if Hong Kong's leader, chief executive Leung Chun-ying, did not meet them by midnight. They called for Leung to step down and for Beijing to withdraw newly proposed restrictions on who the public can elect as Hong Kong's next leader. However, Leung and the Beijing government have so far refused to budge.

One protest leader, Alex Chow, secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, said they were considering widening the protests, calling for a strike by workers and the occupation of government buildings.

Occupy Central, another key protest group, said that it would announce new civil disobedience plans on Wednesday and estimated that more than 500,000 protesters would be on the streets.

The BBC describes the protesters as "noisy but scrupulously polite". The movement has been nicknamed the "umbrella revolution" after protesters used umbrellas to protect themselves from police tear gas over the weekend. The brollies were out again last night, says The Guardian, as the crowds braved a thunderstorm.

People chanted "Tin Nou Yan Yun, Tin Nou Yan Yun", which translates roughly as "Man is being blamed because the heavens are angry", reports the Financial Times, suggesting the gods were angry at Leung for backing Beijing's electoral reform plan.

An official flag-raising ceremony to mark National Day, one of the most important days in China's calendar, passed off peacefully with some student protesters attending. Inside the ceremony, one guest unfurled a yellow umbrella in support of the pro-democracy movement.

David Cameron has said he is "very concerned" by the situation in the former British colony. "What matters is that the basic agreement that we set out with the Chinese all those years ago should be stuck to," said the Prime Minister. "Universal suffrage really means not just being able to vote but having a proper choice."

Hong Kong protests: what demonstrators want from China

30 September

Hong Kong's leader Leung Chun-ying has urged pro-democracy protesters to return home after crowds swelled again on Monday night.

Riot police launched baton-charges, fired tear gas into crowds and arrested dozens of students and activists over the weekend, but were withdrawn yesterday morning as the situation calmed.

Tens of thousands of people returned to protest yesterday, blocking streets in several areas and crowds are expected to swell again tonight ahead of Chinese National Day on 1 October, a national holiday marking the founding of Communist China.

In a press conference, Leung said the protest leaders had repeatedly promised to stop the movement if it was getting out of control. "I'm now asking them to fulfil the promise they made to society, and stop this campaign immediately," he said.

But protest leaders have instead called for people to maintain the momentum of the protests into Wednesday's national holiday.

What are the Hong Kong protests about?

Protesters, who want democratic elections that meet international standards, oppose Beijing's proposed restrictions on who the public can elect as Hong Kong's next leader, the chief executive. Since 1997, when China resumed control of Hong Kong, the region's chief executive has been elected by a committee, which has grown from 400 people to 1,200, many of whom have strong ties to Beijing. Members of the public will for the first time be allowed to vote for Hong Kong's chief executive in 2017 elections. But last month China's government issued a ruling that limits who can stand as a candidate. Only those approved by a nominating committee, composed largely of Beijing loyalists similar to the current election committee, will be allowed to run, reports The Guardian. Hong Kong enjoys considerable autonomy under the "one country, two systems" framework, says the newspaper, but many believe Beijing is intent on eroding its freedoms, such as independent courts and free speech.

Who are the protesters?

University students began boycotting classes last week and staging demonstrations. Tensions escalated when a pro-democracy activist group, Occupy Central, threw its weight behind the students and brought forward a non-violent demonstration initially due to start on Wednesday. Their numbers swelled and tens of thousands flooded central areas of the city. The campaign group, whose full name is Occupy Central with Love and Peace, is led by law professor Benny Tai, sociology professor Chan Kin-man and church minister Chu Yiu-ming. They are regarded as comparatively moderate pro-democracy figures. The movement has also united several pro-democratic political parties in Hong Kong. The Independent describes the movement as possibly the "most polite demonstration ever", with protesters cleaning up after themselves, distributing water and food, and apologising for an incident of vandalism.

How long will the protests last?

Benny Tai has said the movement will continue until the current chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, resigns and Beijing changes its position on political reform. But China's government says a free choice of candidates is out of the question. Although Beijing is apparently limiting information coming onto the mainland about the Hong Kong demonstrations, hundreds of people gathered in Taiwan's capital last night to support the protesters, reports the Wall Street Journal. Celia Hatton, writing for the BBC, says China's leaders "must be sitting uncomfortably" with the knowledge that many on the mainland are "unhappy with one-party rule". However, she suggests it will fall short of sending in Chinese troops, saying this would be a "disaster for Beijing, leading to an international outcry". The New York Times suggests there could be a "long confrontation between a city government pressured by the Chinese Communist Party's demands for top-down control and residents' demands for a city leadership chosen by democratic means".