Thousands of Hong Kong students start week-long boycott
The BBC’s Carrie Gracie joined protesters on the streets in Hong Kong
Thousands of students in Hong Kong have converged on a university campus to begin a week-long boycott of classes.
They are protesting against China’s stance on electoral reform in the territory. Students from more than two dozen institutions are taking part.
It is a prelude to a larger protest on 1 October planned by pro-democracy group Occupy Central.
Beijing has rejected open nominations for the city’s leadership poll, dashing hopes of those seeking full democracy.
The boycott saw thousands of students gathering at 14:00 local time (07:00 BST) for a sit-in at the Chinese University of Hong Kong campus in Sha Tin, several kilometres north of the city centre.
Most are wearing white T-shirts with yellow ribbons – a colour adopted by pro-democracy activists.
A guide to the Occupy Central movement
The boycott is being organised by groups such as the Hong Kong Federation of Students and Scholarism.
Student activists are also organising a series of rallies and public lectures in a park near government offices later in the week.
RTHK reported that teenage activists were standing outside secondary schools early on Monday morning, distributing yellow ribbons to students arriving for class and urging them to join the boycott.
About 400 academics and non-teaching staff are also taking part in support of the students, according to the South China Morning Post.
