A protester holds up placards which reads “Occupy Central” (L) and “Civil Disobedience” in front of a line of riot police outside government headquarters in Hong Kong, Sept. 27, 2014.
September 27, 2014 6:47 AM
BEIJING—A dispute over how Hong Kong residents should elect their local leader escalated on Saturday after pro-democracy student protesters forced their way into the port city’s government headquarters.
While police have arrested dozens of people and used pepper spray in an attempt to suppress the protests, many are coming out to join the students in a show of support.
Police have said they must disperse in a matter of hours.
Hong Kong television broadcasts of the police crackdown at Hong Kong’s government offices showed officers dragging and carrying away dozens of protesters – and in some cases tossing them aside violently.
Hundreds of protesters forced their way into government headquarters late Friday and authorities responded with force.
In scenes of the confrontation broadcast by Hong Kong’s TVB, riot police ripped umbrellas from the protesters’ hands as they tried to protect themselves from pepper spray. Scores were seen dousing their eyes and faces with water afterwards.
Police say at least 29 people were injured and 61 were arrested around the government compound since late Friday. Outside the grounds, which are not far from the port city’s financial district, a large crowd of students chanted at police and demanded that they stop the arrests.
Student protester Mocha Lau says no one should be deterred by the government’s response.
Despite the pepper spray, Lau says she thinks protesters should not run away from police. She says democracy is something you have to fight for, and that there will be sacrifices.
Students in Hong Kong have been boycotting classes all week to demand that China allow full democratic elections in 2017.
When Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule in 1997, the territory was guaranteed a high degree of autonomy and freedom under a form of rule that is called “one country, two systems.” Residents in Hong Kong already enjoy freedoms that do not exist in China, but many feel the situation is eroding. China ruled last month that all candidates for election as Hong Kong’s leader in 2017 must be pre-approved by a pro-Beijing committee.
