Archive for the ‘Democracy’ Category

Hong Kong police swoop on democracy protest site

October 18, 2014, 1:05 am

Hong Kong (AFP) - Fresh clashes broke out in Hong Kong Friday night as demonstrators attempted to retake a protest camp partially cleared by police earlier in the day jeopardising talks to end weeks of mass democracy rallies

Officers used pepper spray and batons to beat back activists as they tried to reoccupy a busy main road in the bustling Mongkok district that had been host to a protest camp for nearly three weeks, an AFP reporter on the scene saw.

It is the third consecutive night violence has broken out after a fortnight of comparative calm in a development that risks sinking only recently resurrected plans to hold talks between student leaders and the city's Beijing-backed authorities.

The Asian financial hub has been rocked by demonstrations for nearly three weeks -- some of which drew crowds tens of thousands strong -- calling both for full democracy and the resignation of the city's leader Leung Chun-ying.

Protesters have held sit-ins at three major intersections causing significant disruption to a city usually known for its stability and presenting Beijing with one of the most significant challenges to its rule since the 1989 Tiananmen protests.

China has insisted that Leung's successor must be vetted by a loyalist committee before standing for election in 2017, a proposal protesters have dismissed as a "fake democracy".

Earlier in the day officers had significantly reduced the size of the Mongkok camp -- the second largest after the main protest site opposite the government's headquarters on the other side of Victoria Harbour -- in a swift dawn raid that saw no resistance put up by protesters.

The site had previously seen clashes between demonstrators and masked government loyalists earlier in the month.

Throughout Friday demonstrators managed to hold on to one side of a multi-lane road where the camp had been located. Police then struggled to maintain order as crowds of pro-democracy supporters began to swell during the evening.

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Hong Kong police swoop on democracy protest site

Hong Kong police partly tear down democracy protest site

The dawn raid sees no resistance from demonstrators, and comes as the city's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying renewed his offer for talks with student protesters a week after pulling out

PROTEST. PROTEST. Pro-democracy protesters sit on a fence during a rally of the ongoing Occupy Central movement in Admiralty District of Hong Kong, China, 16 October 2014. Jeon Heon-Kyun/EPA

HONG KONG Hong Kong police partially cleared a democracy protest site Friday, October 17, tearing down tents and barricades hours after the city's embattled leader reopened his offer of talks to end nearly 3 weeks of disruptive demonstrations.

Mongkok has seen violent scuffles between demonstrators calling for full democracy in the southern Chinese city and pro-government groups.

The dawn raid was met with no resistance from demonstrators, and came as the city's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying renewed his offer for talks with student protesters a week after abruptly pulling out.

But the swift police operation risks throwing the talks into doubt as student leaders decide on their response to the raid, and defiant protesters remained on one side of the multi-lane road that housed the camp.

The Asian financial hub has been rocked by mass rallies for nearly three weeks calling both for full democracy and Leung's resignation.

Ongoing sit-ins at three major intersections have caused significant disruption to a city usually known for its stability.

China has insisted that Leung's successor must be vetted by a loyalist committee before standing for election in 2017, a proposal protesters have dismissed as a "fake democracy".

The occupation of Mongkok the second largest rally site and a densely packed working-class district known for its triad crime gangs was a regular source of tension between protesters and many residents.

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