Huge crowds of pro - democracy protesters defy
government calls to go home , bringing city' s key districts
to a standstill .
Tens of thousands of pro - democracy protesters have
turned parts of Hong Kong into a massive street party on
Monday night , with the mood turning festive just a day
after riot police fired tear gas in ugly clashes.
The huge crowds defied government calls to go home
after Sunday ' s chaotic scenes , bringing key districts of
the Asian financial hub to a standstill as they vowed to
stay put until the Chinese government grants them free
elections .
Sunday ' s violence saw riot police fire clouds of tear gas
as they struggled to control the protesters , in one of the
biggest ever challenges to Beijing' s rule of the semi -
autonomous city.
The anger gave way to a lighter atmosphere on Monday
night as riot police retreated, leaving huge masses of
protesters in control of at least four major thoroughfares
around the city.
Although there were few police on the scene, some
protesters feared a repeat of Sunday ' s clashes, donning
goggles and masks to protect themselves against tear
gas.
The demonstrators are furious over last month ' s
announcement by Beijing that while it will allow the city' s
next leader to be elected in 2017 , it will insist on picking
the candidates, with critics branding the move a " fake
democracy" .
Public anger over rampant inequality is also at its highest
in years in a city once renowned for its stability .
' Umbrella revolution '
Cantonese pop music filled the air during the second day
of what some are dubbing the " umbrella revolution" , as
protesters have been using the canopies as shields
against tear gas and the scorching sun alike.
One British sympathiser won huge cheers as he set up a
barbecue and began handing out hamburgers and
sausages to the protesters .
" I saw everybody was just standing around and just
eating bread and bananas and I thought , ' These guys
have been here for 24 hours now , and everybody needs
cooked food ' , " Daniel Shepherd, a finance broker by day,
told AFP news agency .
" Firing tear gas at students that are unarmed, I think ,
seems a bit excessive , " added the 32 -year -old.
The crowds hoisted up a makeshift copy of the " goddess
of democracy" statue that graced the 1989 protests in
Beijing' s Tiananmen Square , while lamp posts were
adorned with yellow ribbons - which , like the umbrella ,
have become a symbol of the movement .
But many Hong Kongers expressed frustration at the
huge disruption the protests have caused , with the
crowds blocking key junctions in the busy Causeway Bay
and Mongkok shopping districts as well as the biggest
protest site in Admiralty .
There was chaos on the transport network , shuttering
many businesses , with schools in two central districts set
to close for a second day on Tuesday.
Some social workers and teachers also went on strike
after the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions
( HKCTU) and the Professional Teachers ' Union ( PTU )
called for members to take action , the South China
Morning Post reported .
Political headache for China
Analysts said the protests put the Chinese government in
an extremely difficult position .
Communist authorities are worried that dealing with the
protests too softly could encourage wider protests for
greater freedoms on the mainland .
But a heavy -handed response could spark an
international outcry.
" It has the potential to be such a major crisis , " said
Christopher Hughes, a China expert at the London School
of Economics.
He warned that Hong Kong could see a repeat of China' s
violent crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests .
" If they did decide to send in the tanks , who could stop
them ?" he asked .
" They did it in 1989 and got away with it and they' re a
lot more powerful now . There would be some negative
impact , some business confidence , but how long will that
last?"
The United States urged Hong Kong ' s leaders to
" exercise restraint" . Former colonial power Britain also
expressed concern, calling for " constructive " talks to end
the standoff.
Beijing moved swiftly to wipe mentions of the protests
from Chinese social media - blocking photo- sharing
service Instagram altogether - and reiterated its hardline
stance, opposing the demonstrators ' " illegal " actions .
Al Jazeera' s Adrian Brown, reporting from Beijing,
confirmed the outage saying " many photos from the
protests were being posted on the app, and it seems that
China wants to starve this story of oxygen " .
He added that other blogs that mention the words
" occupy " and " central " were also having problems .
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