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| Hong Kong protesters ignore calls to end demonstrations | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Protesters in Hong Kong on Tuesday ignored calls from the region’s chief executive to abandon pro-democracy demonstrations as numbers grew on the eve of a public holiday. | |
| The protests had thinned overnight – after peaking in the tens of thousands – but by lunchtime on Tuesday more people were arriving at the scene again. Some said they were protesting in “shifts”, giving friends time to go home and rest before returning. Others took the opportunity of smaller numbers in the early morning to clean the roads. | |
| One of the organisers, Alex Chow of Hong Kong’s Federation of Students, told a press conference more protesters were preparing to join. He said the demonstrations could also be widened, including strike action and sit-ins of government buildings, if authorities failed to meet the protest demands. | |
| Wednesday is National Day in China, which marks the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China under Communist party rule. The organising group Occupy Central with Love and Peace has called for people to maintain the momentum of the protests into the public holiday. | |
| Hong Kong’s chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, had earlier urged protest leaders to immediately withdraw demonstrators from the centre of the city, as they continued to call for his resignation. | |
| “Occupy Central founders had said repeatedly that if the movement is getting out of control, they would call for it to stop,” Leung said. “I’m now asking them to fulfil the promise they made to society, and stop this campaign immediately.” | “Occupy Central founders had said repeatedly that if the movement is getting out of control, they would call for it to stop,” Leung said. “I’m now asking them to fulfil the promise they made to society, and stop this campaign immediately.” |
| In a short speech before he chaired the executive council’s weekly meeting, he sought to head off calls for his departure, warning: “Any personnel change before the implementation of universal suffrage is achieved would only allow Hong Kong to continue to pick its leader under the election committee model.” | |
| The protests have been sparked by Beijing’s insistence that universal suffrage for the 2017 election of the next chief executive must be tightly controlled, with a committee stacked with pro-Beijing sympathisers picking a handful of candidates. Underneath that lie broader concerns about the future of the region and its ability to protect its identity and freedoms. | The protests have been sparked by Beijing’s insistence that universal suffrage for the 2017 election of the next chief executive must be tightly controlled, with a committee stacked with pro-Beijing sympathisers picking a handful of candidates. Underneath that lie broader concerns about the future of the region and its ability to protect its identity and freedoms. |
| On Sunday police used teargas in vain attempts to disperse protesters – instead bringing many more on to the streets in reaction. | On Sunday police used teargas in vain attempts to disperse protesters – instead bringing many more on to the streets in reaction. |
| Chan Kin-man, one of Occupy’s co-founders, renewed its call for Leung to quit. | Chan Kin-man, one of Occupy’s co-founders, renewed its call for Leung to quit. |
| “If Leung Chun-ying announces his resignation, this occupation will be at least temporarily stopped in a short period of time, and we will decide on the next move,” he told reporters. | “If Leung Chun-ying announces his resignation, this occupation will be at least temporarily stopped in a short period of time, and we will decide on the next move,” he told reporters. |
| “This would be a very important signal, then at least we know the government has changed their attitude and wants to solve this crisis.” | “This would be a very important signal, then at least we know the government has changed their attitude and wants to solve this crisis.” |
| New figures released by Hong Kong University’s public opinion programme – taken before the current wave of protests started – gave Leung a net popularity rating of minus 35 percentage points, with an approval rate of 21% dwarfed by a disapproval rate of 57%. The government’s approval rate is minus 20. | |
| Previous work by the programme has shown the rate of people lacking confidence in the “one country, two systems” formula – which has allowed Hong Kong considerable autonomy – at its highest rate since polling began 21 years ago. As many as 56% said they lacked confidence, while 38% were confident. | Previous work by the programme has shown the rate of people lacking confidence in the “one country, two systems” formula – which has allowed Hong Kong considerable autonomy – at its highest rate since polling began 21 years ago. As many as 56% said they lacked confidence, while 38% were confident. |
| Whether Occupy Central will be able to control the movement if it seeks to do so is uncertain: the massive gatherings were sparked by student protests, and many on the streets do not identify themselves as Occupy Central protesters. | Whether Occupy Central will be able to control the movement if it seeks to do so is uncertain: the massive gatherings were sparked by student protests, and many on the streets do not identify themselves as Occupy Central protesters. |
| Chan told the Guardian on Monday he hoped the movement would continue until at least Wednesday, and would then announce new plans. | |
| “It is not realistic for people to occupy Central forever ... We have to be careful not to invite a backlash,” he said. | |
| So far the anti-Occupy groups have been relatively quiet about the protests. But Robert Chow of the Silent Majority group, which has opposed the movement, said: “What Occupy Central has achieved is simply holding Hong Kong hostage and disrupting the livelihood of general Hong Kong people. | So far the anti-Occupy groups have been relatively quiet about the protests. But Robert Chow of the Silent Majority group, which has opposed the movement, said: “What Occupy Central has achieved is simply holding Hong Kong hostage and disrupting the livelihood of general Hong Kong people. |
| “If they persist in blocking traffic I think the people of Hong Kong will get angry.” | “If they persist in blocking traffic I think the people of Hong Kong will get angry.” |
| The White House on Monday urged authorities in the region to show restraint in responding to the sit-in, and called on protesters to express themselves peacefully. | The White House on Monday urged authorities in the region to show restraint in responding to the sit-in, and called on protesters to express themselves peacefully. |
| “We believe that an open society with the highest possible degree of autonomy, and governed by the rule of law, is essential for Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity,” spokesman Josh Earnest said. | “We believe that an open society with the highest possible degree of autonomy, and governed by the rule of law, is essential for Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity,” spokesman Josh Earnest said. |
| He said the legitimacy of the region’s chief executive would be strengthened if there was a genuine choice of candidates at the election. | He said the legitimacy of the region’s chief executive would be strengthened if there was a genuine choice of candidates at the election. |