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Hong Kong demonstrators divided on whether to end protest Hong Kong protests appear to be headed into a smaller but durable holding pattern
(about 5 hours later)
HONG KONG — Pro-democracy demonstrators were split Sunday night on whether to continue their week-long occupation of multiple sites in Hong Kong in the face of a government warning to clear the streets by Monday morning. HONG KONG — A showdown between pro-democracy demonstrators and Hong Kong’s government appeared headed toward a stalemate on Monday morning, the deadline authorities had given protesters to clear the streets.
Anxiety, confusion and disagreements were visible as a group of protesters agreed to retreat from barricades blocking the offices of Hong Kong’s chief executive, only to watch other protesters rush in to take their place and refuse to leave. Anxiety and disagreements were evident among protesters about whether to continue their week-long occupation of multiple sites in Hong Kong or to pull back and consolidate their forces at the main encampment in front of government headquarters.
As midnight approached, a sizable crowd remained in front of the chief executive’s building. But it appears that the authorities might tolerate a reduced protest, as long as key buildings are not blocked.
Nicholas Chan, 25, said he rushed over after work as some protesters were walking away. Since then, he and dozens of others have not budged from their spot. The holding pattern, if it lasts, caps off several days of threats and attempts to escalate the situation on both sides. Instead, the occupation looks like it could last for many more days if not weeks. Over time, the protest will likely lose its large numbers, but a core group of protesters has vowed to remain no matter what happens until they get some concessions from the government.
“I’m planning to stay all night here, I have clothes I can use as a pillow if necessary,” he said. Some of his friends had retreated to other protest sites, like the main encampment in front of the government headquarters and the central business district, viewing them as safer locations. Such an occupation could also turn more public sentiment against the students’ cause, and at the same time it would bring into question how long Beijing would tolerate such public defiance of its authority.
Many who had taken up position outside the chief executive’s office said that if police try to clear out the protesters, this would be the first battle line. They pointed out that this was the road Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying would have to take to get to work. One group agreed to retreat early Sunday night from barricades blocking the offices of Hong Kong’s chief executive, with one protester even shaking the hand of a police officer as though in agreement.
But upon hearing the news, other protesters came rushing in within minutes to take the places of those retreating, and refused to leave even in the face of possible force by the police. Reflecting the mistrust rampant at the protest, rumors promptly circulated that the protester who had made the friendly gesture earlier was a member of the city’s auxiliary police force.
Earlier, Hong Kong’s leader, Leung Chun-ying, said he would take “all actions necessary” to make sure government workers could return to work, which some saw as an ultimatum for protesters to get off the street or risk facing a police sweep.
Among the crowd in front of the chief executive’s building, Nicholas Chan, 25, said he had rushed there after work around 6 p.m. as soon as he heard some protesters were walking away.
“I’m planning to stay all night here, I have clothes I can use as a pillow if necessary,” he said.
Many of Chan’s friends had retreated to other protest sites, viewing them as safer locations.
Some of those who had taken up position outside the chief executive’s office said that if police try to clear out the protesters, this would be the first battle line. They pointed out that this was the road Leung would likely have to take to get to work.
“I’m here because I want to see for myself just how far police will go if all we do is sit here peacefully,” Chan said.“I’m here because I want to see for myself just how far police will go if all we do is sit here peacefully,” Chan said.
The decentralized nature of the demonstrations and occupations — a protest against voting restrictions imposed by Beijing — meant that it was virtually impossible to dissuade many of the hard-core demonstrators from standing their ground. Student leaders said they had met preliminarily with government officials to talk about possibility of a meeting with Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s highest-ranking civil servant. But they said there were many disagreements as well.
At a protest site in the working-class neighborhood of Mong Kok, attackers, including some identified as members of triad gangs, part of Chinese organized crime, had assaulted largely peaceful protesters. In response, some demonstrators called for a retreat to the main protest site outside the government headquarters. Others, however, vowed to stay indefinitely. While some talked of pulling back and retrenching, the decentralized nature of the demonstrations and occupations — a protest against voting restrictions imposed by Beijing — meant that it was virtually impossible to dissuade many of the hard-core demonstrators from standing their ground.
Student leaders had called on the protesters in Mong Kok to withdraw, fearing for their safety, but crowds remained there as night fell Sunday. At another protest site in Mong Kok, a working-class neighborhood, attackers, including some suspected of being members of triad criminal gangs, had assaulted largely peaceful protesters in recent days. In response to the violence, some called for a retreat to the main protest site outside government headquarters. But others on Sunday vowed to stay indefinitely.
At a third site, in the commercial district of Causeway Bay, protesters continued their occupation as tensions between them and local residents mounted. Throughout the protest sites, many braced all night and into the early morning for a crackdown that had yet to come.
A host of university presidents and high school principals appealed to students to withdraw. “Please leave now. You owe it to your loved ones to put your safety above all other considerations,” said Peter Mathieson, president of Hong Kong University. For hours, a group of young men, manning the barricades on a street named Justice Drive, scrutinized passing cars and nearby Hong Kong’s police headquarters for signs of trouble.
The previous night, protesters had turned out in force at a rally near the government headquarters, in Hong Kong’s Admiralty district, galvanized after days of flagging momentum by violent attacks on their ranks and an ultimatum by authorities to clear out of the streets by Monday morning. Complete strangers before the protest, they had created a group account in recent nights on social media to assign shifts on the barricade.
Some demonstrators admitted that they planned to leave the site, but others insisted that they wanted to see the protest through to the very end — which could involve a police crackdown. They had given their group a Cantonese name that translated roughly this way: “Those Willing to Die for the Barricade on Justice Drive.”
The rally was a show of defiance, marked by songs, raucous pro-democracy chants and speeches hailing the student demonstrators’ accomplishments. Some in attendance viewed the moment as a kind of coda to the protests, led by a new generation that refuses to let Beijing dictate the terms by which Hong Kong’s society is governed. “We don’t plan to fight or do anything to provoke the police, but if they come, we must be vigilant so we can warn everyone else,” said one of them who only gave his surname Liu, for fear his nighttime activities would be frowned upon at work.
“This may be over tomorrow,” said Ada Lam, 25, a kindergarten teacher. “But we will never lose this time. We will go forward with it in our hearts.” But on a night many thought would signal a dramatic end to the protests — either through a police crackdown or the withdrawal of demoralized protesters — the mood was as relaxed and convivial as it has been all week.
The resurgent protest around the government’s headquarters came as demonstrations elsewhere in the city appeared to be fizzling. A gaggle of students played cards on the main occupied road near government headquarters. Not far away, a local artist named Milk unveiled a tall statue made of wood tiles of a man holding an umbrella, an instant favorite among the protesters. Terrence Tsui, one of the card players, insisted the occupation could go on indefinitely. “Look at us, you think we’ll leave? The police know they can’t take us all.”
Morale among the protesters had sagged after Friday, when it became clear that students’ demands would not be fully met. By the gates of the Hong Kong chief executive’s office, dozens of protesters camped out, showing no inclination to leave. “I don’t trust anything this government says,” said Kennedy Fong, a gas mask-wearing demonstrator. “The only power we have is to stay here.”
Many were also exhausted. “I will stay here as long as others are staying here,” said David Chan, a university student. “But I am tired. My family wants me to come home. I miss my bed.” A host of university presidents and high school principals appealed during the weekend for students to withdraw. “Please leave now. You owe it to your loved ones to put your safety above all other considerations,” said Peter Mathieson, president of Hong Kong University.
But Sunday night, a group of more than 80 professors made a counterargument, saying the answer to the ongoing crisis should be the government listening to the students, rather than the students leaving under the threat of force.