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| Police Raid Removes Many of Protesters’ Barricades | Police Raid Removes Many of Protesters’ Barricades |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| HONG KONG — Hundreds of Hong Kong police officers began a surprise raid before dawn on Friday to remove many of the barricades erected by pro-democracy students and other protesters in the Mong Kok district. | |
| The police had previously moved to greatly shrink the area occupied and barricaded by protesters in two other areas, Admiralty and Causeway Bay. The police left Mong Kok for last because it is a politically volatile area where organized crime triads have long exerted considerable influence. Many of the protesters there have tended to be older and more politically radical than those at the other two spots. | The police had previously moved to greatly shrink the area occupied and barricaded by protesters in two other areas, Admiralty and Causeway Bay. The police left Mong Kok for last because it is a politically volatile area where organized crime triads have long exerted considerable influence. Many of the protesters there have tended to be older and more politically radical than those at the other two spots. |
| The early stages of the police operation appeared to be going smoothly, as the protesters initially offered little resistance. | The early stages of the police operation appeared to be going smoothly, as the protesters initially offered little resistance. |
| The day before, Hong Kong‘s leader, Leung Chun-ying, said that the city government hoped to meet with student protest leaders as soon as possible. | |
| But Mr. Leung said he was in no position to offer concessions to the protesters, who are demanding democratic elections. That leaves unclear how he intends to resolve the territory’s worst political crisis since China regained sovereignty from Britain in 1997. | But Mr. Leung said he was in no position to offer concessions to the protesters, who are demanding democratic elections. That leaves unclear how he intends to resolve the territory’s worst political crisis since China regained sovereignty from Britain in 1997. |
| “First, we can’t make something unconstitutional constitutional,” he said, citing as an example the main demand by protesters: the right to nominate his successor. | “First, we can’t make something unconstitutional constitutional,” he said, citing as an example the main demand by protesters: the right to nominate his successor. |
| Mr. Leung said that it was Beijing, and not he, who had the power to amend or overturn the Chinese national legislature’s framework for Hong Kong elections in 2017, which has angered democracy advocates. | Mr. Leung said that it was Beijing, and not he, who had the power to amend or overturn the Chinese national legislature’s framework for Hong Kong elections in 2017, which has angered democracy advocates. |
| In August, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee proposed requiring that candidates for the post of Hong Kong chief executive be vetted by a group dominated by pro-Beijing interests. The decision led to a series of protests, student strikes and the demonstrations. | In August, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee proposed requiring that candidates for the post of Hong Kong chief executive be vetted by a group dominated by pro-Beijing interests. The decision led to a series of protests, student strikes and the demonstrations. |
| Last week, the Hong Kong government canceled plans for talks with student leaders over how far the electoral changes promised by Beijing could go. | Last week, the Hong Kong government canceled plans for talks with student leaders over how far the electoral changes promised by Beijing could go. |
| Negotiations are complicated by the authorities’ efforts to clear protesters’ roadblocks to reopen traffic. Early Wednesday, hundreds of protesters retaliated by blocking a road in front of the chief executive’s office. | Negotiations are complicated by the authorities’ efforts to clear protesters’ roadblocks to reopen traffic. Early Wednesday, hundreds of protesters retaliated by blocking a road in front of the chief executive’s office. |
| A protester at that site was beaten, apparently by several police officers, for about four minutes, drawing a larger turnout than usual on Wednesday night at the main protest site in the Admiralty neighborhood. | A protester at that site was beaten, apparently by several police officers, for about four minutes, drawing a larger turnout than usual on Wednesday night at the main protest site in the Admiralty neighborhood. |
| Infuriated by the beating, which was shown on television, the protesters tried to blockade more streets early Thursday. | Infuriated by the beating, which was shown on television, the protesters tried to blockade more streets early Thursday. |
| Kong Man-keung, a senior police superintendent, told reporters on Thursday that seven police officers said to have been involved in the beating had been suspended. He said the beaten man, Ken Tsang, resisted arrest after he poured an unidentified liquid on several police officers. | Kong Man-keung, a senior police superintendent, told reporters on Thursday that seven police officers said to have been involved in the beating had been suspended. He said the beaten man, Ken Tsang, resisted arrest after he poured an unidentified liquid on several police officers. |
| Mr. Tsang, who has been identified as a member of the pro-democracy Civic Party, now faces charges of assaulting the police, unlawful assembly and obstruction, Mr. Kong said. | Mr. Tsang, who has been identified as a member of the pro-democracy Civic Party, now faces charges of assaulting the police, unlawful assembly and obstruction, Mr. Kong said. |
| Mr. Tsang said that he was also beaten in the police station after his arrest. His face appeared to have bruises. | Mr. Tsang said that he was also beaten in the police station after his arrest. His face appeared to have bruises. |
| In Mong Kok on Friday morning, there appeared to be only a few dozen protesters, compared with many hundreds at the main protest site in Admiralty. They said the police had ordered them to remove their tents and other belongings or risk their confiscation. The protesters said they generally complied. | |
| “Peacefulness is one of our powers, to show we are good citizens and can gain democracy,” said Lawver Cheung, a 20-year-old student who said she had been sleeping in a tent here for a week. “The protest is very peaceful, and the police are getting angry and they shout at us.” | |
| Many of the police officers wore riot helmets, and some also carried shields, greater protection than for previous police removals of barricades elsewhere. | |
| The police said they were removing nearly all barricades in Mong Kok, where an area of roughly 10 blocks by two blocks had been sealed off by chest-high barricades. The police left only a small protest area in the southbound lanes of a single block of Nathan Road. | |
| The scale of the operation was in contrast with police actions in the Admiralty and Causeway Bay districts, which removed some barricades but not others in attempts to shrink but not eliminate protesters’ encampments. | |
| The police even tore down protest fliers from skyscraper walls and removed stickers from traffic signs in an attempt to erase all signs of the Mong Kok encampment. One of the last items tossed by the police into the back of one truck was a small yellow umbrella, a symbol of the protests. | |
| Protesters used small steel carts to take away many of their tents and other possessions, and still appeared to offer no resistance as the sun rose. |