Protest started on Sunday instead of next Wednesday and centred around government HQ instead of financial district
PUBLISHED ON SEP 28, 2014 9:04 AM
BY LI XUEYING, HONG KONG CORRESPONDENT
THE Occupy Central civil disobedience movement to agitate for greater democracy in Hong Kong – 1.5 years in the planning – has started.
Riding on the momentum of a students’ movement, Occupy Central organiser Benny Tai declared in a surprise announcement early Sunday morning that the sit-in, originally slated for Hong Kong’s financial district, will begin first around the government headquarters in Admiralty where student protesters have already massed for the past two nights.
“Occupy Central will start with occupying the government headquarters!” he declared. “Let’s begin a new era together – an era of civil disobedience.”
Occupy Central was widely expected to begin on China’s National Day on Wednesday. When asked about the earlier-than-planned start, Dr Tai said: “We think that in social movement. you have to respond to the situation of the society. We just need to respond to the very enthusiastic citizens.”
Crowds facing off with Hong Kong police calling for the bridge leading to the government headquarters in Admiralty to be opened to them on September 28, 2014. – ST PHOTO: LI XUEYING
On Saturday, he had dismissed students’ call to bring forward the Occupy movement, though fellow organiser Chan Kin Man told The Straits Times that they would observe the numbers and the mood of the crowd before deciding.
In a statement, the Occupy Central movement said that it is making two demands: that Beijing retracts its decision on Hong Kong’s electoral system and to resume talks.
On Aug 31, the National People’s Congress announced rules that will limit elections to only candidates that Beijing approves.
Thousands of protesters – student organisers claimed 50,000 – gathered at the pavements and roads around the government headquarters on Saturday night to support the 74 who had been arrested for breaking into the compound on Friday night. Clashes between protesters and riot police ensued. At least 34 were injured and sent to the hospital.
Supporters present included Apple Daily owner Jimmy Lai, the former head of the Catholic diocese Cardinal Joseph Zen and Democratic Party founding chairman Martin Lee.
The original Occupy Central plan was to paralyse the financial district by mobilising up to 10,000 protesters to block the roads.
