Hong Kong protesters and police face off as violent exchanges continue

Police use batons and pepper spray against pro-democracy activists as night of confrontation continues into Monday 

Hong Kong: clashes escalate between pro-democracy protesters and police

Agence France-Presse in Hong Kong

Published: 18:44 EST Sunday, 30 November 2014

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A pro-democracy protester screams as policemen try to arrest him during the clashes with the Hong Kong police on Lung Wo Road. Photograph: Borja Sanchez Trillo/Getty Images

Hundreds of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters faced off against police early Monday in a fresh escalation of tensions, with officers firing pepper spray at angry students trying to surround the government headquarters.

In chaotic scenes, protesters wearing helmets and wielding umbrellas spilled into a major road outside the office of chief executive Leung Chun-ying as police tried to beat them back with batons and pepper spray.

“I want true democracy!” protesters yelled. “Surround the headquarters. Paralyze the government.”

Protesters have been staging mass sit-ins in Hong Kong for more than two months, demanding free leadership elections for the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

China’s communist authorities insist candidates for the 2017 vote must be vetted by a loyalist committee, which the protesters say will ensure the election of a pro-Beijing stooge.