29 September 2014 Last updated at 15:06 ET
Pro-democracy protesters gather outside the Hong Kong government headquarters in Admiralty, Hong Kong – 29 September 2014
Tens of thousands of people remained on the streets of Hong Kong on Monday night
Protests in Hong Kong are continuing after tens of thousands of people defied calls for them to dismantle their camps and return home.
Demonstrations grew after police tried to disperse crowds using batons and tear gas in the early hours of Monday morning. Riot police later withdrew.
The pro-democracy protesters are angry at China for limiting their choice in Hong Kong’s 2017 leadership elections.
China has warned other countries not to support the “illegal rallies”.
The protesters – a mix of students and members of the Occupy Central civil disobedience movement – want Beijing to abandon its plans to vet candidates for the post of chief executive in the 2017 polls.
They want a free choice of candidates. Until now the territory’s chief executive has essentially been selected under a pro-Beijing mechanism.
Response from West
On Monday, the British government called for the right to protest to be protected and for protesters to exercise their right within the law.
That call was echoed by the US, with White House spokesman Josh Earnest calling on Hong Kong’s authorities to show restraint.
“The United States supports universal suffrage in Hong Kong in accordance with the Basic Law and we support the aspirations of the Hong Kong people,” Mr Earnest told reporters.
At the scene: Martin Patience, BBC News, Hong Kong
As night fell, cheers rippled through the crowd. Many office workers joined the protesters or stood on bridges watching the remarkable scenes.
The only jeering I heard was when protesters held up a huge portrait of Chief Executive CY Leung and carried it through the crowd.
For the demonstrators he is now Public Enemy Number One and they have called on him to resign.
Many other people in Hong Kong are not on the streets and think the protesters are pushing their luck with Beijing. They also fear that growing protests could lead to instability, and the possible flight of capital.
