Full copy from REUTERS here:
Hong Kong democracy protesters defy tear gas, baton
charge in historic standoff
HONG KONG Sun Sep 28, 2014 7:09pm EDT
1 of 17. Riot police fire teargas to disperse
protesters after thousands of demonstrators blocked the main street to the
financial Central district outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong
September 29, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/Stringer
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Riot police advanced
on Hong Kong democracy protesters in the early hours of Monday, firing volleys
of tear gas after launching a baton-charge in the worst unrest there since China
took back control of the former British colony two decades ago.
Some protesters erected barricades to block security forces amid chaotic
scenes still unfolding just hours before one of the world's major financial
centers was due to open for business. Many roads leading to the Central business
district remained sealed off as thousands defied police calls to
retreat.
Earlier, police baton-charged a crowd blocking a key road in the government
district in defiance of official warnings that the demonstrations were
illegal.
Several scuffles broke out between police in helmets, gas masks and riot
gear, with demonstrators angered by the firing of tear gas, last used in Hong
Kong in 2005.
"If today I don't stand up, I
will hate myself in future," said taxi driver Edward Yeung, 55, as he
swore at police on the frontline. "Even if I get a criminal record it will be a
glorious one."
White clouds of gas wafting between some of the world's most valuable office
towers and shopping malls underscored the struggle that China's Communist Party
faces in stamping its will on Hong Kong's more than 7 million people.
China took back control of Hong Kong from Britain in 1997.
Eight years earlier, Beijing's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy students in
Tiananmen Square in 1989 had sent shockwaves through Hong Kong as people saw how
far China's rulers would go to maintain their grip on power.
Thousands of protesters were still milling around the main Hong Kong
government building, ignoring messages from student and pro-democracy leaders to
retreat for fear that the police might fire rubber bullets.
Australia and Italy issued travel warnings for Hong Kong, urging their
citizens to avoid protest sites. Some financial firms in the business district
advised staff to work from home or from another location.
The U.S. State Department said in a statement on Sunday that Washington
supported Hong Kong’s well-established traditions and fundamental freedoms, such
as peaceful assembly and expression.
PEPPER SPRAY, TEAR GAS
The protests fanned out to the busy shopping district of Causeway Bay and
across the harbor to Mong Kok, posing a greater challenge for authorities to
contain, local media reported. The protesters brought traffic to a halt and
called on Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying to step down.
Police, in lines five deep in places, earlier used pepper spray against
activists and shot tear gas into the air. The crowds fled several hundred yards
(meters), scattering their umbrellas and hurling abuse at police they called
"cowards".
Britain returned Hong Kong to Chinese rule under a formula known as "one
country, two systems" that guaranteed a high degree of autonomy and freedoms not
enjoyed in mainland China. Universal suffrage was set as an eventual
goal.
But Beijing last month rejected demands for people to freely choose the
city's next leader, prompting threats from activists to shut down the Central
business district. China wants to limit elections to a handful of candidates
loyal to Beijing.
Communist Party leaders in Beijing are concerned that calls for democracy
could spread to cities on the mainland.
In a move certain to unnerve authorities in Beijing, media in Taiwan reported
that student leaders there had occupied the lobby of Hong Kong's representative
office on the island in a show of support for the democracy protesters.
Hong Kong leader Leung had earlier pledged "resolute" action against the
protest movement, known as Occupy Central with Love and Peace.
"The police are determined to handle the situation appropriately in
accordance with the law," Leung said, less than two hours before the police
charge began.
"NEVER GIVE UP"
Police had not used tear gas in Hong Kong since breaking up protests by South
Korean farmers against the World Trade Organisation in 2005.
"We will fight until the end ... we will never give up," said Peter Poon, a
protester in his 20s, adding that he may have to retreat temporarily during the
night.
Police denied rumors that they had used rubber bullets.
A spokesperson for China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said the
central government fully supported Hong Kong's handling of the situation "in
accordance with the law".
Such dissent would never be tolerated on the mainland, where the phrase
"Occupy Central" was blocked on Sunday on Weibo, China's version of Twitter. It
had been allowed earlier in the day.
A tearful Occupy organizer, Benny Tai, said he was proud of people's
determination to fight for "genuine" universal suffrage, but that the situation
was getting out of control, local broadcaster RTHK reported. He said he believed
he would face heavy punishment for initiating the movement.
Protesters huddled in plastic capes, masks and goggles as they braced for a
fresh police attempt to clear them from the financial district before Hong Kong
re-opens for business. The city's financial markets are expected to open as
usual on Monday. [ID:nL3N0RT0KT]
"WE WILL WIN WITH LOVE AND PEACE"
Publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai, a key backer of the democracy movement, joined
the protesters.
"The more Hong Kong citizens come, the more unlikely the police can clear up
the place," said Lai, also wearing a plastic cape and protective glasses. "Even
if we get beaten up, we cannot fight back. We will win this war with love and
peace."
Pro-democracy Hong Kong lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan said three fellow legislators
were among a small group of activists detained by police, including democratic
leaders Albert Ho and Emily Lau.
Organizers said as many as 80,000 people thronged the streets in Admiralty
district, galvanized by the arrests of student activists on Friday. No
independent estimate of the crowd numbers was available.
A week of protests escalated into violence when student-led demonstrators
broke through a cordon late on Friday and scaled a fence to invade the city's
main government compound.
Police used pepper spray to disperse the crowd. The Hong Kong Federation of
Students has extended class boycotts indefinitely and called on the city's
leader to step down.
Police have so far arrested 78 people, including Joshua Wong, the 17-year-old
leader of student group Scholarism, who was dragged away after calling on
protesters to charge the government premises.
Wong was released without charge on Sunday night. He told reporters he
planned to return to the protest site after resting. Student leaders Alex Chow
and Lester Shum have also been released.
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