Pro-democracy protesters clashed with police Monday as they tried to surround Hong Kong government headquarters. Police say 40 people were arrested. (AP)
Hong Kong riot police armed with pepper spray and batons Monday scattered thousands of pro-democracy activists who had forced the temporary closure of government headquarters, defying orders to end their two-month stand-off with the government.
Heated clashes erupted as Hong Kong commuters went to work after hundreds of protesters surrounded Admiralty Center, which houses government offices and retail outlets. The government’s central offices there, as well as dozens of shops, were forced to close in the morning.
Volunteer medics attended to the numerous injured among the protesters, many in protective goggles, wearing body armor and chanting “we want universal suffrage.” Protesters threw bottles, helmets and umbrellas at police, news reports said.
Hong Kong’s embattled chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, told reporters police had so far been tolerant, but would now “enforce the law without hesitation” to end the protests that have paralyzed parts of the Asian financial hub since late September.
He called the protesters’ actions “not only illegal”, but also “in vain.”
“Some people have mistaken the police’s tolerance for weakness,” Leung told reporters. “I call for students who are planning to return to the occupation sites tonight not to do so.” He did not respond to a question asking if police would therefore move in soon.
Later Monday, a Hong Kong court granted an injunction covering some parts of the main Admiralty protest site, laying the groundwork for possible police action in coming days. Under the injunction, the authorities will still have to give 24 hours notice before moving in to clear the site.
The protesters are calling for free elections for Hong Kong’s next chief executive in 2017 rather than a choice between Beijing’s pre-screened candidates.
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement represents the biggest challenge to China’s Communist party rule of the former British colony since Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule in 1997. Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule under the so-called “one country, two systems” formula that gives the territory some independence from China, with only a later promise of full democracy.
The latest clashes came just after British lawmakers said they were told they would not be allowed to enter Hong Kong as part of an official government inquiry into the status of its former colony and its progress towards democracy.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Beijing had told Britain it was opposed to the inquiry and that as China had responsibility for Hong Kong’s foreign affairs, it had every right to decide who to let into the city, the Reuters news agency reported.
The Hong Kong protests drew more than 100,000 on to the streets at their peak. Numbers have since dwindled and public support for the movement has waned.
The attempt to occupy new ground at the protest site Monday and the retreat in the face of police caused some dissension among protesters, with some accusing protest leaders of not having a firm plan in place for the action.
Student leader Alex chow later apologized to his fellow protesters, acknowledging they should have been better prepared. He blamed the injuries and violence on police insisting protesters remain peaceful, however.
William Wan is The Post’s China correspondent based in Beijing. He served previously as a religion reporter and diplomatic correspondent.
Daniela Deane was a reporter in four countries in Europe and Asia and a foreign affairs writer in Washington before she joined the Post. She now writes about breaking foreign news from both London and Rome.
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