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Hong Kong protests: Leaders threaten to call off talks | Hong Kong protests: Leaders threaten to call off talks |
(35 minutes later) | |
Leaders of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have threatened to call off talks with the government after demonstrators were involved in scuffles with angry opponents. | |
The government must prevent "organised attacks on supporters of the Occupy movement", they said. | The government must prevent "organised attacks on supporters of the Occupy movement", they said. |
The protesters, angry at China's plan to vet election candidates, have been occupying parts of the city. | The protesters, angry at China's plan to vet election candidates, have been occupying parts of the city. |
They had earlier accepted an offer of talks from Hong Kong's chief executive. | They had earlier accepted an offer of talks from Hong Kong's chief executive. |
In the commercial district of Mong Kok, on the Kowloon peninsula, opponents of the demonstrators dismantled tents. | In the commercial district of Mong Kok, on the Kowloon peninsula, opponents of the demonstrators dismantled tents. |
Police linked arms to try to separate the opposing groups. | Police linked arms to try to separate the opposing groups. |
Later, more pro-democracy activists flooded the area and now vastly outnumber their opponents, says the BBC's Martin Patience in Mong Kok. | |
They began chanting: "Go back to Beijing." | |
Many local residents have been angered by the disruption caused by the protests, but activists say the opposition to them is being coordinated by the authorities. | |
"If the government does not immediately prevent the organised attacks on supporters of the Occupy movement, the students will call off dialogue on political reform with the government," said a statement by the three main protest groups in response to the scuffles. | |
Similar scuffles took place in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island, where residents tried to remove barricades put up by pro-democracy protesters. | Similar scuffles took place in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island, where residents tried to remove barricades put up by pro-democracy protesters. |
Government offices in the main protest-hit area have been closed, with the authorities urging staff to work from home because roads were blocked. | |
At the heart of the row is how Hong Kong elects its next leader. In August, Beijing ruled that while Hong Kong residents would have a vote, their choice of candidates would be restricted by a committee. | |
The protesters say this falls short of the free elections they are seeking. | |
Several days into their week-long demonstrations, the protesters added the demand that Chief Executive CY Leung step down. | |
Mr Leung refused late on Thursday but offered talks with his deputy, which the activists accepted. | |
The central government in Beijing has thrown its full support behind Mr Leung, calling the protests illegal and "doomed to fail". |