Hong Kong: Pro-democracy protesters were defiant in the face of attacks by opponents and warnings by the Hong Kong government to clear the streets, staging a massive rally on Saturday evening in the downtown business district they've occupied for a week.
"Democracy now! Democracy in Hong Kong!" thousands chanted as speakers from the movement seeking wider political reforms for this former British colony urged them to persist in their campaign. The rally lasted hours, with participants at times clapping and cheering as a stream of speakers and singers addressed them and performed popular songs.
"We are not seeking revolution. We just want democracy!" said Joshua Wong, a 17-year-old student leader. "We hope there will be no violence," he said. "It would be unfortunate if this movement ended with bloodshed and violence."
Standoffs between the protesters and their antagonists grew uglier during the day, as the two sides traded insults and at times taunted police. The city's leader said streets occupied by the protest must be cleared by Sunday.
Although the mostly student-led protesters stuck to their pledges of non-violence, holding up their arms to show peaceful resistance, some shouted abuse at people who gathered to challenge their occupation of a major street in the gritty, blue-collar Mong Kok district, which is home to many migrants from the Chinese mainland.
"Go back to the mainland," some shouted, cursing them in Cantonese.
Minor skirmishes broke out constantly, broken up by police or bystanders. Adding to the disorder, some residents dumped water from their apartments onto the people below.
The students accused police of failing to protect them from attacks Friday by mobs intent on driving them away, shouting "Black Police!", a reference to their claim that the police had allied with "black societies," or criminal gangs, to clear out the protesters. The claim was vehemently denied by the government.
The city's top leader, Chief Secretary Leung Chun-ying, appeared on television today evening to once again urge everyone to go home, saying things needed to get back to normal by Sunday.
"There are many problems to be resolved in society, but the right way is through rational communication to seek common ground while holding back differences," he said. "Not fighting on the streets, which makes things worse."
On Friday night, police arrested 19 people during a night of running brawls in which at least 12 people and six officers were injured. Eight men were believed to have backgrounds linked to triads, or organised crime, said Senior Superintendent Patrick Kwok Pak-chung. Those arrested were facing charges of unlawful assembly, fighting in public and assault, Kwok said.
Officials vehemently denied rumours they might have coordinated with the gangs to clear the streets. "Such rumours linking us to 'black societies,' are utterly unfair," Hong Kong's visibly agitated security chief, Lai Tung-kwok, told reporters.
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