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| Three Months of Protests End Quietly in Hong Kong | Three Months of Protests End Quietly in Hong Kong |
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| HONG KONG — Pro-democracy protests that swept onto the streets of Hong Kong 11 weeks ago faced a muted ending on Monday, when the police dismantled the last remaining road occupation, and a prominent student activist, Joshua Wong, appeared in court with about 30 other arrested protesters. | HONG KONG — Pro-democracy protests that swept onto the streets of Hong Kong 11 weeks ago faced a muted ending on Monday, when the police dismantled the last remaining road occupation, and a prominent student activist, Joshua Wong, appeared in court with about 30 other arrested protesters. |
| But the city still confronted aftershocks from the months of political strife. | |
| After almost three months of tumult, the street protests had dwindled to a few dozen tents in the Causeway Bay area, a hectic shopping district. Before the police moved in to clear the area, most of the remaining dozens of protesters packed away their tents and sleeping bags and left the road of shops and malls festooned with Christmas decorations. About 16 stayed sitting on the road, waiting to be arrested in a gesture of support for what they call the Umbrella Movement, after the umbrellas used to fend off police pepper spray. | |
| “It’s my responsibility,” said Harry Chow, 47, a floor polisher who said he had quit his job to join the protests and would accept arrest. “I want to tell people that the Umbrella Movement is not ending, and this is just a small part of it.” | “It’s my responsibility,” said Harry Chow, 47, a floor polisher who said he had quit his job to join the protests and would accept arrest. “I want to tell people that the Umbrella Movement is not ending, and this is just a small part of it.” |
| Within 30 minutes of the police moving in, the last tent was pulled down, and trucks mounted with cranes were brought in to clear debris from the road, while clusters of protesters shouted from the sidewalk. The camp at Causeway Bay was by far the smallest, and the least volatile, of the street occupations that sprang up across Hong Kong on Sept. 28. That day the police’s use of tear gas and pepper spray to disperse student protesters around the city government headquarters backfired, and tens of thousands of people took to the streets in anger, also demanding that the government heed their calls for democratic voting rights. | |
| “We achieved something,” said Teresa Liu, a student who said she had regularly stayed at the camp since Sept. 29. “We achieved international notice, and since we got notice, China has no excuse to hide anymore.” | “We achieved something,” said Teresa Liu, a student who said she had regularly stayed at the camp since Sept. 29. “We achieved international notice, and since we got notice, China has no excuse to hide anymore.” |
| But the Hong Kong government gave no substantial concessions, and the protest movement increasingly succumbed to exhaustion and internal fractures. On Thursday, the police demolished the biggest camp, adjacent to the city government headquarters in the Admiralty district, and in late November they pulled down the camp in Mong Kok, a crowded neighborhood where protesters seeking to defend and win back their space on the streets had repeatedly clashed with the police. | But the Hong Kong government gave no substantial concessions, and the protest movement increasingly succumbed to exhaustion and internal fractures. On Thursday, the police demolished the biggest camp, adjacent to the city government headquarters in the Admiralty district, and in late November they pulled down the camp in Mong Kok, a crowded neighborhood where protesters seeking to defend and win back their space on the streets had repeatedly clashed with the police. |
| Even with the streets cleared of barricades, Hong Kong faces reverberations from months of divisive confrontation, including court cases for protesters arrested for resisting the police and similar charges. As well, the government proposal for overhauling elections must undergo a new round of public comment, offering opponents another chance to mobilize. | Even with the streets cleared of barricades, Hong Kong faces reverberations from months of divisive confrontation, including court cases for protesters arrested for resisting the police and similar charges. As well, the government proposal for overhauling elections must undergo a new round of public comment, offering opponents another chance to mobilize. |
| The government’s proposed changes would for the first time allow Hong Kong residents to vote directly for the city’s leader, or chief executive. But protesters and many other critics say the proposed rules would offer only a sham public say. Real power would reside with the Chinese government, which could exclude candidates it did not like. | The government’s proposed changes would for the first time allow Hong Kong residents to vote directly for the city’s leader, or chief executive. But protesters and many other critics say the proposed rules would offer only a sham public say. Real power would reside with the Chinese government, which could exclude candidates it did not like. |
| “In a way, this blew up in Beijing’s face,” Michael C. Davis, a professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, said in an interview. “They’ve got a whole civil society up in arms. The danger is that their answer to problems in Hong Kong has been more control, and this is exactly what’s causing the public tensions.” | “In a way, this blew up in Beijing’s face,” Michael C. Davis, a professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, said in an interview. “They’ve got a whole civil society up in arms. The danger is that their answer to problems in Hong Kong has been more control, and this is exactly what’s causing the public tensions.” |
| On Monday, the Hong Kong High Court held a brief hearing for about 30 arrested protesters, including Mr. Wong, the bespectacled 18-year-old who became one of the movement’s best-known leaders. The judge adjourned the case to early next year. | On Monday, the Hong Kong High Court held a brief hearing for about 30 arrested protesters, including Mr. Wong, the bespectacled 18-year-old who became one of the movement’s best-known leaders. The judge adjourned the case to early next year. |
| A few dozen protesters have also continued to camp on space around the Legislative Council’s building near Admiralty. Officials from the legislature had to give their approval before the police could enter the area to remove the protesters, the police have said. The local news media, citing police sources, said that area would also be cleared on Monday. | A few dozen protesters have also continued to camp on space around the Legislative Council’s building near Admiralty. Officials from the legislature had to give their approval before the police could enter the area to remove the protesters, the police have said. The local news media, citing police sources, said that area would also be cleared on Monday. |
| “We still haven’t got what we wanted,” said Jerry Lau, 34, a former driver who was among the protesters at the city legislature building. “I stayed here for over 70 days, so we still want a result.” | “We still haven’t got what we wanted,” said Jerry Lau, 34, a former driver who was among the protesters at the city legislature building. “I stayed here for over 70 days, so we still want a result.” |