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Clashes broke out on Friday at the site of one of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests as local residents and pro-Beijing supporters tried to evict activists from the street they were occupying. (AP)

HONG KONG Opponents of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong opened their own counteroffensive Friday, pulling down barricades and scuffling with demonstrators seeking to keep alive their occupation of key sites around the enclave.

The backlash whether sanctioned by pro-Beijing factions or a spontaneous groundswell against the disruptions represents a critical juncture for the crowds that have challenged authorities for more than a week with demands for a greater voice over affairs in the former British colony.

The numbers of protesters on the streets have dropped off under a combination of factors, including torrential downpours and a pledge by Hong Kongs chief executive to open government dialogue with the demonstrators.

The mob-style attacks on various protest strongholds also could set the stage for wider crackdowns by officials, who have warned they would not tolerate open-ended demonstrations that have paralyzed highways and surrounded government buildings.

Protests flared late last week in opposition to plans for Chinese officials to vet candidates for elections in Hong Kong, which was handed over to Beijing in 1997. The showdowns soon evolved into a ideological confrontation over whether Western-looking Hong Kong should retain some degree of autonomy from the central government a concession Beijing appears unwilling to make.

Friday was the first day many Hong Kong residents returned to work after a two-day holiday although the central government closed its offices, telling workers to work from home.

Opponents of the protesters struck back in several areas. The most dramatic incidents took place in Mong Kok, on the other side of the harbor from the central business district. Groups converged on the protest site and started taking down tents and removing barricades. There were reports on social media of roaming mobs scuffling with pro-democracy demonstrators.

By late afternoon, the student demonstrators were hemmed in on all sides by counter-protesters, who were kept back only by a thin cordon of police, who attempted to separate the protesters from their opponents by holding hands and forming a human chain. Two buses which had been parked by the protest site since the occupation began earlier in the week, adorned with pro-democracy banners, were driven away to the applause of the anti-occupy crowds.

Questions abound over the nature of the counter-protests, which pro-democracy activists claim are rent-a-mobs mobilized by pro-Beijing factions in the city, according to local media.

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Hong Kong protesters scuffle with opponents of pro-democracy campaign