HONG KONG (AP) — There have been injuries today on the streets of Hong Kong, where hundreds of men tried to break up barricades set up by pro-democracy activists.
The scuffles were the most chaotic since police used tear gas and pepper spray last weekend to try to disperse the protesters.
It’s not clear if the mob of people trying to drive away the protesters today was organized. But at least some were local residents fed up with the inconvenience of blocked streets and closed shops. They may have been encouraged by orders from police for the protesters to stop blocking the streets.
In one neighborhood where protesters have set up camps, the democracy activists linked arms and held hands as they tried to stand their ground. Police formed cordons and escorted some of the protesters away, as hundreds of onlookers chanted, “Pack up!” and “Go home!”
The protesters are saying that if authorities don’t act to protect them, they will retract an agreement to hold talks with the city government.
Hong Kong’s top civil servant said today that she has begun organizing the talks with the protesters. They continued their sit-ins after the territory’s chief executive rejected their calls to resign.
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152-c-13-(Kelvin Chan, AP correspondent)-“throughout the crowd”-AP correspondent Kelvin Chan reports the pro-democracy activists are hugely outnumbered by pro-Beijing demonstrators and other Hong Kong residents. (3 Oct 2014)
< 153-c-11-(Kelvin Chan, AP correspondent)-“have set up”-AP correspondent Kelvin Chan reports pro-democracy activists are being allowed to leave the area where the pressure against them is mounting. (3 Oct 2014) < APPHOTO XWS120: An angry local demands that the pro-democracy student protesters remove the barricades blocking streets in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, Friday, Oct. 3, 2014. Crowds of pro-democracy protesters on the streets of Hong Kong dwindled sharply Friday after the territory’s leader agreed to meet with their leaders over demands for electoral reforms. An afternoon thunderstorm — and sheer exhaustion after the weeklong protests — also appeared to keep people off the streets. (AP Photo/Wally Santana) (3 Oct 2014) < Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
