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5 Oct 2014

Last chance saloon for Hong Kong protests?

Protester numbers dwindle in Hong Kong as the pro-Beijing government demands people clear the streets and go back to work next week.

The pro-Beijing government in Hong Kong has warned demonstrators they are determined to get the city back to work this week after several days of protest.

Some pro-democracy protesters have left the financial hub but hundreds remain, amid fears of police action to clear the streets.

We’re afraid there may be a police crackdown Protester Lester Leung

City leaders have called for streets to be cleared to allow businesses, schools and civil servants to resume their normal business on Monday – causing some protesters to paralyse parts of the former British colony with mass sit-ins.

By late Sunday evening, an estimated 4,000 protesters had gathered in Admiralty, the main area they have occupied over the past week at the heart of the government district – far fewer than rallied there the previous day.

Separatist fears

Protester Lester Leung, 25, said: “We’re afraid there may be a police crackdown, so we came here to support. The more people we have, the harder it is for the police to clear.”

Tens of thousands of protesters have demanded over the past week that Leung step down and that China allow them the right to vote for a leader of their choice in 2017 elections.

But Beijing is fearful that calls for democracy in Hong Kong could spread to the mainland, as it faces separatist unrest in far-flung Tibet and Xinjiang.

The Communist Party leadership has dismissed the protests as illegal, but appears to have left Leung and his government to find a solution.

One man, professional stuntman Tony Leung Sui Hung, climbed on top of a bridge and threatened to jump, pleading for protesters to cease so his kids could go back to school.

Post-its were left as messages of support to the continuing protests.

Protesters installed a statue with a yellow umbrella as other demonstrators blocked the main street to the financial Central district outside of the government headquarters building in Hong Kong.

Umbrellas have become a symbol of protest during the demonstrations.