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Large protest in Hong Kong after leader makes new warning
Bloomberg - October 5, 2014
Students leading the demonstrations put the crowds amassed downtown at about 200,000 – as large as any since the pro-democracy rallies began on September 26 – with many people turning out to support protesters attacked by groups of men two days ago.
The demonstration set the stage for another showdown with the government, as Leung asserted his "responsibility and determination to take any necessary action" to restore order in the Asian financial center.
"The most immediate thing: on Monday, entrances of government headquarters must be clear," he said, in a televised address yesterday evening.
Student protesters seeking direct elections free from limits set by China's central government have obstructed roads for more than a week, paralysing much of central Hong Kong and forcing schools, stores and government offices to close.
The benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 2.6 percent last week – its steepest drop since March – as the former British colony slipped into its worst political crisis since China regained sovereignty in 1997.
Talks agreed to by both sides on October 2 were shelved by the students the following day after protesters in Hong Kong's Mong Kok district were attacked by hundreds of men opposing the demonstrations. Police arrested 20 people, including eight with suspected ties to the city's triad gangs.
In his address, Leung said the government "strongly condemns" the violence in Mong Kok. If "the incident develops further, it is very possible that the situation will continue to be out of control, harming public safety and social order," he said.
The Hong Kong Federation of Students, one group leading the protest, said in a statement on its Facebook page last night that talks could resume if the government opened an investigation into the police's conduct in Mong Kok, where some protest leaders accused the police of allowing organized violence against them.
Sporadic clashes erupted yesterday between pro-democracy protesters and those who say their occupation of some of the city's busiest shopping areas have hurt local businesses and hampered transportation.
Protest leaders gave no sign of clearing out in speeches to the crowds assembled in Admiralty early this morning. Joshua Wong, 17, the founder of the student activist group Scholarism, said 200,000 people were in attendance, about the same number that attended the rallies' Oct. 1 peak.
"They say we're chaotic – look around – are we chaotic?" Wong said. "I see you all here and I know that what we've worked towards has not been for nothing."
The protests were triggered by China's decision that candidates for chief executive in the 2017 elections be vetted by a committee. Pro-democracy groups say that will guarantee the candidates' obedience to China. They are seeking a more open system, as well as Leung's resignation.
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