Pro-democracy protestors cleared from major intersection by Hong Kong police.
After three weeks of occupation by pro-democracy protestors, the Hong Kong police cleared a major intersection in the city, removing barricades and tearing down tents in the process, on October 17, 2014. Most protesters reportedly did not put up any resistance over their removal, however a 48-year-old man was later arrested for common assault, as per the police.
The Hong Kong police stormed the Mong Kok district in a strength of 500-600, carrying riot shields and wire cutters to vacate the premises of 100-200 protesters who were blocking the movement of traffic along Nathan Road. They also tore down structures erected by the protesters by using a crane, stating that they had cleared an area for them on the sidewalk.
On October 16, 2014, Hong Kong’s leader C Y Leung had communicated that the government was ready to reopen talks with the Hong Kong Federation of Students, however, the student group stated that they were willing for a dialogue to commence, but they had not been directly approached by the government yet.
Early this October, tens of thousands of people poured onto three streets of Hong Kong–Admiralty, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok–as they wanted the right to nominate candidates for the election of the city’s chief executive in 2017. China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) still stand firm on its policy that only those candidates that are approved by a pro-Beijing committee will be able to vote.
Leung had stated on October 16, 2014 that Beijing was not ready to retract its decision, as enabling every citizen to vote was a “big breakthrough, a big step.” The current process of electing the chief executive involves a specially-appointed 1,200 member election committee.
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