Hong Kong protests: What changed at Mong Kok?
3 December 2014 Last updated at 09:13
Clashes have
erupted again in Hong Kong after the
authorities moved in to clear protest camps. For two months pro-democracy
activists have occupied various parts of the territory, and protests have
occasionally turned violent.
Why are the
authorities cracking down now?
Since the street
occupations began in September in three key spots - Mong Kok, Admiralty and Causeway Bay
But the High
Court began granting injunctions to businesses and industry groups to clear
roads in November, triggering a round of clearances by bailiffs and the police.
The first
clearance in Admiralty on 18 November passed off peacefully.
But clashes
erupted the following week when the authorities demolished the entire Mong Kok
camp.
Student
protesters accused the police of violence, and tried to shut down government
offices in Admiralty on 1 December, prompting a strong response from the
police.
Another
injunction has been granted to clear a section of Connaught
and Harcourt Roads - the major stronghold of protesters.
The students have
insisted that public opinion is still on their side, but the numbers at protest
sites and polls indicate that the public has grown increasingly weary of the
disruption and unrest.
At its peak, the
pro-democracy movement saw tens of thousands of Hong Kong
residents from all walks of life take to the streets. Two months on, just a few
hundred remain camped out in tent cities, most of whom are students and young
workers.
Meanwhile, a
mid-November poll done by the University
of Hong Kong
A majority also
backed the Hong Kong government's clearance of
the sites, though some believed that it could allocate other areas for
protesters.
Student leaders
have also found it difficult to make headway. Earlier talks with city officials
proved fruitless, an attempt to travel to Beijing
was blocked by Hong Kong authorities, and two
leaders - Joshua Wong and Lester Shum - were arrested for obstructing police in
Mong Kok and are now out on bail.
On 2 December,
three of the co-founders of the Occupy Central movement called for protesters
to retreat. The three turned themselves in to a police station the next day,
though the authorities have not charged them with any offence.
One of the Hong Kong business groups that has taken out an
injunction to clear the protest sites is a joint-venture controlled by Chinese
state-owned Citic Group.
Though it remains
unclear whether Beijing had a direct hand in the
applications, many in the business sector - which is increasingly reliant on China - have opposed the protests since day one,
on the grounds that it would hurt the economy and anger Beijing
Keywords：
pro-democracy 民主派
genuine 真正的
universal
suffrage 普選
civil 公民的
campaign 運動
direct 直接的
condemn 責備 譴責
WHO- people in Hong Kong
WHEN-September,
2014
WHAT-occupation
of Mong Kok
WHY- the pro-democracy
are fighting for selecting their own leader
WHERE- Mong Kok
HOW- occupy
