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Hong Kong (CNN) -- Thousands of demonstrators bracing for the possibility of a police crackdown packed streets in the heart of Hong Kong early Tuesday.

Protesters had masks, protective goggles and plastic raincoats on hand as they camped out on the main thoroughfare leading into the city's central business district around 3 a.m. Tuesday, about 24 hours after officers had fired tear gas and pepper spray at the crowd.

"They're all ready just in case there is any sort of move by the Hong Kong police," CNN's Andrew Stevens reported.

At least 56 people have been injured so far in the largely student-led protests, which flared into violence starting Sunday, a Hong Kong government spokeswoman said.

Photos: Hong Kong pro-democracy protests

 

Protesters demand democracy

 

Students: We want democracy

 

Pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong

Demonstrations began in response to China's decision to allow only Beijing-vetted candidates to stand in the city's 2017 election for the top civil position of chief executive. Protesters say Beijing has gone back on its pledge to allow universal suffrage in Hong Kong, which was promised "a high degree of autonomy" when it washanded back to China by Britain in 1997.

The government adopted a more conciliatory approach Monday, saying it had withdrawn riot police from the protest areas. It urged people to disperse and allow traffic to return to the roads.

But the protesters, rallying against what many see as the growing influence of the Chinese Communist Party on the way Hong Kong is run, are so far refusing to budge.

Both protesters and police have been calling for calm, Stevens said. And at the moment, the situation is peaceful.

Chanting protesters are calling for the resignation of Hong Kong Chief Executive C.Y. Leung.

A large orange banner hanging over them, Stevens reported, says "freedom in the midst of a storm."

Demonstrators say they're not going anywhere. Authorities also don't seem to show any sign of backing down; officials in Hong Kong and China say it's an illegal gathering.

"The next step really at this stage is very difficult to predict," Stevens said.

Hong Kong protests: In the thick of it

What you need to know

Police action shocks residents

The protests have brought widespread disruption to the heart of one of Asia's biggest financial centers, blocking traffic on multilane roads and prompting the suspension of school classes.

Police say they've arrested 89 people since protests began, accusing them of forcible entry into government premises, disorderly conduct in public, assaulting police officers and obstructing police.

The large-scale demonstrations now taking place grew out of student-led boycotts and protests that began last week. The demonstrations increased in size over the weekend after gaining the support of Occupy Central with Love and Peace, a protest group that was already planning to lead a campaign of civil disobedience later this week against the Chinese government's decision.

Images of heavy-handed treatment of protesters by police shocked many residents of Hong Kong, where large-scale, peaceful protests are common, but police crackdowns are not.

CNN's Ivan Watson -- who himself was enveloped in a cloud of stinging tear gas Sunday -- said protesters and police appeared unused to the method of crowd control.

"Both sides were appealing for calm, and then the tear gas just exploded in the midst of everybody," he said. "People here have never been hit by tear gas before, and it comes as quite a shock to them -- even the use of pepper spray. ... This is a big shock for a city that is famed for its law and order."

The strong police response appeared to stir thousands more people into joining the demonstrations, swelling the ranks of protesters around the government headquarters and starting new rallies in other key areas of the city, including the densely populated district of Kowloon, which sits on the opposite side of Victoria Harbor from Hong Kong Island.

"They shouldn't have used tear gas," said Brian Lo, 37, who works in human resources and wasn't protesting. "This made people angry."

Crowd numbers grew after the riot police withdrew Monday but had thinned out slightly by Tuesday morning, CNN's Stevens said.

At the main protest site near the government headquarters, a young woman named Nikki told CNN she has no plans to leave.

"As long as there's one person that's still out here on this highway," she said, "I'm going to be here."

 

Umbrellas vs. tear gas

 

China faces 'most complicated' protests

 

Beijing watching Hong Kong events

'Umbrella revolution'

Despite the government's announcement that it had pulled riot police back from the protest sites, smaller numbers of officers remained on guard on the sidelines of the main protest area.

Aside from the clashes with police, the protesters have remained overwhelmingly peaceful. People have been picking up trash left at the protest sites, handing out bottles of water and encouraging police officers to put down their weapons and join the demonstrations.

In the face of tear gas and pepper spray, demonstrators have used goggles, homemade masks and umbrellas to protect themselves.

How Hong Kong remains distinct from China

The abundance of umbrellas among the crowds, shielding people from tear gas and the fierce glare of the sun, has prompted many social media users to dub the movement the "umbrella revolution."

Chan Kin-man, a leader of Occupy Central, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that demanding the chief executive's resignation is a realistic goal that could give Hong Kong a window to restart constitutional reform efforts

"We shouldn't look at the democracy movement as a battle. It is a war," he said. "As long as the spirit of democracy is alive, we are not and we will not be defeated."

'We had to use force'

Fears nonetheless remain about the possibility of a heavier crackdown from authorities. Both the Chinese and Hong Kong governments have said they consider the protests to be unlawful.

Leung has said police have acted with the greatest possible restraint in dealing with the protesters. At least 12 police officers were among the injured, authorities said.

Hong Kong chief executive: Raw emotion 'will get us nowhere'

"We gave them enough of a chance to leave, and this included warnings," Assistant Police Commissioner Cheung Tak-keung said of protesters at a news conference Monday. "But when they failed, we had to use force."

Police fired a total of 87 tear gas canisters on Sunday night, he said.

In an indication authorities don't expect the demonstrations to end soon, the Hong Kong government said it was canceling the city's annual fireworks display on Wednesday, China's National Day, because of the protests.

"Everybody is in completely unknown territory. ... How these things end, we just don't know,' said Roderic White, an associate fellow at London-based Chatham House. "A lot will depend on the attitude of the authorities, and whether at some time there will be room for somebody to talk to somebody."

What will Beijing do?

Some analysts say they see little hope of compromise between the committed protesters and the Chinese Communist Party, which remains notorious for its ruthless suppression of pro-democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989.

"I see no way the Chinese government can tolerate what is happening in HK. Greatly fear this will end badly," tweeted Mike Chinoy, a senior fellow at the U.S.-China Institute at the University of Southern California, who covered the Tiananmen crackdown for CNN.

Pro-democracy activist and former legislator Martin Lee told CNN's Watson that China had troops stationed in Hong Kong who could clear the streets if ordered to.

"But Hong Kong people, I think, many of them would not be scared. I certainly would not be scared. And I've said it before and I say it again, if I see a tank from the Chinese troops in Hong Kong, I would get myself a bicycle and stand right in front of it," Lee said.

Chinese authorities appeared to be taking steps to restrict the flow of information into the mainland about what was happening in Hong Kong. State media gave little coverage to the story, and it appeared censors had blocked access to Instagram after images of the protests flooded the photo-sharing app.

Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Monday that Beijing fully believes in and firmly supports the Hong Kong government's "ability to handle the situation in accordance with the law."

香港示威者挖掘和支撐的可能的打擊力度
由葉忒羅馬倫和凱瑟琳大腸桿菌Shoichet，美國有線電視新聞網
二○一四年九月三十日 - 更新0032 GMT（0832 HKT）
新聞提要
新： 56人受傷，由於抗議活動開始89人被捕，官員說，
抗議者收拾街上戴口罩和護目鏡
“我們不得不使用武力”的示威者，警方官員說，
香港取消其年度10月1日煙花匯演在抗議
你在嗎？分享照片，但保證安全。
香港（CNN） -數以千計的示威者準備迎接的警察鎮壓街頭裝在香港的心臟週二凌晨的可能性。
抗議者口罩，防護眼鏡和塑料雨衣在手，因為他們駐紮在主幹道通往城市的中央商務區凌晨3點左右星期二，官員們在人群發射催淚彈和胡椒噴霧約24小時後。
“他們都準備好，以防萬一有什麼樣的行動由香港警方，”CNN的安德魯·史蒂文斯報導。
430am香港中央。在最壞的準備統一的學生。依然人潮湧動，在主要抗議地點，但所有的平靜。pic.twitter.com/IAgD9URxG5
-安德魯·史蒂文斯（@andrewcnn）2014年9月29日
至少有56人受傷，至今在很大程度上是學生領導的抗議活動，其中爆發為暴力週日開始，香港政府發言人說。
組圖：香港親民主抗議活動 組圖：香港親民主抗議活動
示威者要求民主 學生：我們要民主 香港親民主抗議活動
遊行開始針對中國的決定，只允許北京，核實考生站在城市的2017選舉行政長官的前公民的地位。抗議者說，北京已經違背了承諾，允許在香港，這是承諾“高度自治”，當它被普選交還給中國是英國在1997年。
政府採取了較為溫和的做法週一稱它已經從抗議區撤回防暴警察。它敦促人們散去，讓流量返回到公路。
但抗議者，團結反對什麼許多人認為中國共產黨在途中香港的影響力越來越大運行，是迄今為​​止拒絕讓步。
無論是示威者和警方已經呼籲民眾保持冷靜，史蒂文斯說。而此刻，形勢是和平的。
誦經示威者呼籲香港特區行政長官梁振英下台。
大橙色旗幟掛在他們，史蒂文斯報導說，“自由在風暴之中。”
示威者說，他們不會去任何地方。當局也似乎並沒有表現出讓步的任何跡象; 在香港和中國官員說，這是一個非法集會。
“在這個階段，下一步真的是很難預測的，”史蒂文斯說。
香港抗議：在它的厚
你需要知道什麼
警方的行動震驚居民
抗議活動帶來了廣泛的破壞，以亞洲最大的金融中心之一的心臟，阻塞在多車道的道路交通，促使學校課程暫停。
警方說，他們已經逮捕了89人，因為開始的抗議活動，指控他們強行進入到政府物業，行為不檢公開，襲警及妨礙警務。
大規模的示威遊行，現在正在發生的前身是學生領導的抵制和抗議上週開始的。爭取佔領中環充滿愛與和平的抗議組已經計劃在本週晚些時候導致公民不服從運動對中國政府的這一決定的支持後，規模示威活動增加了週末。
抗議者被警察的嚴厲處理圖像驚呆了香港，在那裡大規模和平抗議是常見的許多居民，但警方鎮壓都沒有。
CNN的伊万·沃森- 誰自己被籠罩在一團刺痛催淚瓦斯週日 -說，示威者和警察出現未使用的為控制人群的方法。
“雙方都呼籲保持冷靜，然後將催淚瓦斯爆炸剛剛在眾人之中，”他說。“這裡的人從來沒有遭受催淚瓦斯之前，和它作為相當大的震動給他們 - 甚至使用胡椒噴霧...這是一個很大的衝擊的一個城市，是著名的法律和秩序。 “
強勁的警察的反應似乎激起數千人到各地政府總部參加示威活動，示威者腫脹的行列，並在城市的其他關鍵領域，包括人口密集的九龍區，而坐在對面開始新的反彈維多利亞港的香港島。
“他們不該使用催淚瓦斯，”布賴恩羅，37歲，誰的作品在人力資源，並沒有抗議說。“這使人們很生氣。”
觀眾人數增加後，防暴警察撤出週一卻​​都淡出輕微週二上午，美國有線電視新聞網的Stevens說。

在主要抗議地點附近的政府大樓，一名年輕女子名為尼基告訴CNN，她並沒有打算離開。
“只要有一個人是仍然在這裡上這條高速公路，”她說，“我要到這裡來。”
雨傘與催淚瓦斯 中國面臨的“最複雜”的抗議 北京看香港事件
“傘革命”
儘管政府宣布，它已經退出防暴警察在示威地點回來，人數較少的人員留在後衛上的主要抗議區的場邊。
除了與警方發生的衝突中，抗議者們仍然絕大多數為和平。人們一直在撿垃圾留在抗議地點，發放瓶裝水，鼓勵警務人員放下武器，加入示威。
在催淚瓦斯和胡椒噴霧在臉上，示威者用眼罩，自製面罩和太陽傘來保護自己。
香港如何依然來自中國不同的
在人群中的雨傘豐，屏蔽來自催淚瓦斯和太陽的猛烈刺眼的人，已經促使很多社交媒體用戶配音流動的“保護傘革命”。
陳健人，佔中央的領導者，告訴美國有線電視新聞網的克里斯蒂安阿曼普爾說，要求行政長官辭職是一個現實的目標，可以給香港一個窗口，重新啟動憲政改革的努力
“我們不應該看的民主運動是一場戰爭，這是一場戰爭，”他說。“只要民主的精神是活的，我們不是，我們也不會被打敗。”
“我們不得不使用武力”
恐懼仍然保持大約從有關部門較重的打擊的可能性。無論是中國和香港政府都表示，他們認為，抗議活動是非法的。
梁先生說，警方已採取行動，在處理示威者的最大的克制。至少有12名警察被中受傷，當局說。
香港特區行政長官：原始的情感'將一事無成“
“我們給了他們足夠的機會離開了，這包括警告，”助理警務處長張德強說，示威者在週一的新聞發布會。“但是，當他們失敗了，我們不得不使用武力。”
警方共87催淚彈發射週日晚上，他說。
在顯示當局不希望示威盡快結束，香港政府說，這是取消，因為抗議在週三，中國的國慶節全市每年的煙花匯演。
“每個人都在完全未知的領域。......怎麼這些事情結束，我們只是不知道，”Roderic白，副研究員，在倫敦的查塔姆說：“很多將取決於當局的態度，以及是否在某些時候會出現空間有人說話了別人。“
什麼北京做什麼？
一些 分析人士說，他們看到的承諾抗議者和中國共產黨，這仍然是臭名昭著的無情的親民主抗議活動的鎮壓北京天安門廣場在1989年間妥協的希望不大。
“我看沒辦法，中國政府能夠容忍什麼是發生在香港。大大擔心這會結束得很厲害，”啾啾邁克·奇諾伊，在美國，中國研究院在南加州大學的高級研究員，誰覆蓋的天安門事件為美國有線電視新聞網。
民運活動家和前立法會議員李柱銘告訴CNN的華生，中國有軍隊駐紮在香港，如果命令誰可以清除街道上。
“但香港人，我想，很多人就不會害怕，我當然不會害怕，而且我以前就說過，我再說一遍，如果我看到一輛坦克從中國軍隊在香港，我會得到自己的自行車，站在正確的在它的前面，“李說。
320pm中央港幣。現在人潮蜂擁到香港警方經過關鍵的抗議現場下台防暴隊。pic.twitter.com/9gTKy7ucdl
-安德魯·史蒂文斯（@andrewcnn）2014年9月29日
中國當局似乎在採取措施，限制信息流動進入大陸發生了什麼事在香港。國家媒體還給了小範圍的故事，似乎檢查員已禁止訪問Instagram的抗議活動的影像後，淹沒了照片共享應用程序。
華春英，發言人，中國外交部週一表示，北京完全相信並堅定地支持香港政府的“處理能力的情況，依照法律規定。”
CNN的傑思羅·馬倫報導，距離香港中寫道。CNN的凱瑟琳E. Shoichet從亞特蘭大寫道。CNN的以斯帖龐，周慧敏鑑，綜合外電咀，西蒙·哈里森，尤安McKirdy，費利西亞黃，伊万·沃森，安德魯·史蒂文斯，沼琉，伊麗莎白·約瑟夫·大衛·麥肯思國際律師事務所，史蒂芬江，凱蒂·亨特，史蒂夫Almasy和哈拉戈蘭尼促成了這一報告。