Protesters demand Chief executive resign

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Hong Kong (CNN) -- Pro-democracy activists took their fight Thursday to the doorstep of Hong Kong's chief executive, sitting down outside his office gates to express their dissatisfaction with him and the central government in Beijing.

Some demonstrators say the next step could be occupying the inside of government buildings. It would be a drastic move, but one protest leader says it might be necessary to get officials' attention and bring change.

"We still can't get a normal, acceptable response," student leader Joshua Wong, 17, told CNN's Andrew Stevens. "This is the final action for us."

In some minds, this confrontation has been brewing ever since Hong Kong transitioned in 1997 from British to Chinese control.

But tensions have risen after a late August decision giving Beijing control over the slate of Hong Kong chief executive candidates in 2017 -- an election current Chief Executive C.Y. Leung stresses will let the city's 5 million eligible voters pick a winner, rather than the 1,200-member committee stacked with Beijing loyalists that chose past leaders.

Photos: Hong Kong pro-democracy protests

 

View from the ground in Hong Kong

 

Birds-eye views of Hong Kong protests

 

Raw scenes from Hong Kong

Those feelings have spilled into the streets of the Asian financial hub in recent days, in what's being called the "Umbrella Revolution" because of the use of the items to shield against police tear gas and pepper spray. Huge crowds have called for true "universal suffrage" -- which is not just one vote per person, but no restrictions on candidates -- and more generally called out Beijing for what they claim is its encroaching control on Hong Kong.

And they've also demanded Leung's resignation, accusing of him of siding with China's central government rather than the people of Hong Kong.

That's why a few hundred students have moved from the main protest location to the Leung's office.

As protester Cyrus Koo, 25, explained: "We want to disturb the daily life of the chief executive."

Threat to occupy government buildings

The activists are open to talks with Chinese or other Hong Kong leaders, but not with Leung, one of the movement's figureheads Lester Shum said Wednesday. He demanded the chief executive step down by Thursday night, or else protesters will "occupy different important government buildings."

Kelvin Cheung, a 21-year-old student who was helping sort recyclable trash near the main protest site, said he thinks "more pressure must be put on the government, otherwise they'll turn a blind eye to our actions."

But he was wary of the idea of occupying government buildings, describing it as "very controversial" and something that should be used only as a last resort. He said he was concerned it would cause "conflicts" with the police and government.

His classmate Cathy Wong, also 21, was even more cautious. "We have to keep it peaceful," she said. "We can't destroy the city."

Earlier, Hui Chun-tak, the chief superintendent of the police Public Relations Branch, said at a joint police and emergency services news conference that although the protests remained calm, police would continue to monitor them to ensure public order and safety.

"Police appeal again to the protesters to continue to stay calm, and to leave the locations orderly and peacefully as soon as possible, so that the inconvenience caused to the general public could be minimized," he said. He also urged protesters to give way to emergency vehicles.

To date 83 people -- 53 males and 30 females -- have been injured in the ongoing protests, according to a government media officer. The official would not comment on the nature or extent of the injuries.

First-timers joining demonstrations

Some people were joining the protests for the first time. Nic Lam, a 35-year-old IT worker, said his job and family had kept him away previously, but the public holiday had allowed him to attend and express his "long-term dissatisfaction" with the Hong Kong government.

Many families were at the main protest site, which had taken on a festive atmosphere, including band performances.

 

Stormy Hong Kong protests continue

 

Hong Kong protesters not backing down

Map: Where protests are

BLOG: Follow CNN's coverage of the protests

As China's flag was flown alongside Hong Kong's in National Day observances at various locations throughout the semi-autonomous Chinese territory, demonstrators expressed their grievances with mostly restrained protests.

At the official National Day flag-raising ceremony in Golden Bauhinia Square, in Wan Chai, pro-democracy leader Joshua Wong, 17, protested alongside other student demonstrators.

Led by Wong, who was arrested Friday during critical protests and released two days later, the group silently turned their backs and raised their arms in crosses as the Chinese and Hong Kong flags were raised.

"We crossed our arms because we want to express our dissatisfaction toward the government, to reflect our mistrust towards the central Chinese government, and to object to the National People's Congress decision on August 31," said Wong, referring to Beijing's controversial ruling to allow only candidates approved by a nominating committee to run for office as Hong Kong's chief executive.

In the buildup to the flag-raising, a statement from Wong's Scholarism group calling for calm and restraint during the ceremony was widely circulated among protesters on social media networks.

"Just wear black, stay quiet with your chin down or carry an umbrella," read a message. "No matter how much you dislike a country, disturbing its flag-raising ceremony will only be disrespectful."

There was a notable protest at an official reception afterward, when local district councilor Paul Zimmerman opened a yellow umbrella --a symbol of the protest movement -- as Leung, the main target of the protesters' ire, addressed the crowd.

"I think C.Y. and the police commissioner owe Hong Kong an apology, nothing less ... for what they have done," Zimmerman told CNN affiliate i-Cable.

Leung: 'Accept arrangements'

Protesters are seeking to change Beijing's decision to vet candidates for the chief executive position, arguing that the right to vote in the special administrative region, or SAR, is moot if the candidates are decided in Beijing.

They fear that the territory's independence is slipping away, and they accuse Leung of putting China's central government ahead of the citizens of Hong Kong.

In his speech at the National Day reception, Leung told attendees that Hong Kongers should accept the deal over their 2017 elections as is.

"It is understandable that different people may have different ideas about a desirable reform package. But it is definitely better to have universal suffrage than not," he said.

Leung's mention of universal suffrage refers to new arrangements that will allow voters to cast an individual ballot, replacing the previous system in which the chief executive was elected by a 1,200-member committee stacked with Beijing-friendly appointments.

 

Leung: China will not compromise

The protesters' objection to the new system is that candidates will need to be approved by Beijing.

"It is definitely better to have the (chief executive) elected by 5 million eligible voters than by 1,200 people. And it is definitely better to cast your vote at the polling station than to stay home and watch on television the 1,200 members of the Election Committee cast their votes," said Leung.

Even before the protests began, the chief executive suffered from a lack of support in the SAR. A survey conducted by the Hong Kong University Public Opinion Programme between September 17 and 22 found Leung to have an approval rate of just 21%.

Occupy: 'Beijing should be able to listen'

That outcome is not seen as an acceptable solution to the protesters, who say they were promised the right to elect their own leaders under the terms of the handover agreement from Britain to China, and are opposed to Beijing retaining the ability to veto candidates.

Benny Tai, co-founder of one of the major protest movements, Occupy Central, told CNN that protesters were "not pushing or challenging the sovereign status of China over Hong Kong."

"We want a right that we should enjoy, no more and no less," he said.

"We hope that leaders in Beijing should be able to listen and ... respond to the demands of Hong Kong people."

Authorities have been restrained in their response since Sunday, when police hurled 87 tear gas canisters into a crowd after they refused to heed calls to disperse, spurring further protests.

But with protesters vowing not to leave until they achieve their goals, observers are nervously awaiting the authorities' next move.

Victor Gao, director of China's National Association of International Studies and a one-time translator to former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, told CNN from Beijing that the protests were "a violation of the law, and I think it will be dealt with as such."

"I think if anyone in Hong Kong believes that by such action they can force mainland China's central government here to back down, that's really indulging in fantasy."

At the United Nations building in New York on Tuesday, CNN's Richard Roth asked China's deputy U.N. ambassador what he thought of the protests.

Wang Min replied, "What, where? Hong Kong is part of China," and then walked away.

Beijing is coming under increasing international pressure over the protests, with British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg saying he will summon the Chinese ambassador over concerns about the handling of the demonstrations.

Pro-Beijing groups

Despite the huge turnout on the streets, not everyone in Hong Kong is behind the protest movement.

Leung has backing from pro-Beijing groups like the Silent Majority for Hong Kong, which have had their own rallies. They argue that pro-democracy activists will "endanger Hong Kong" and create chaos.

Andy Chan, a 57-year-old in Causeway Bay, told CNN he thought democracy should come "step by step."

"Hong Kong should be stable, everything should be stable. I don't want the stock market or the property market to be down to a horrible level."

親民主示威者針對香港行政長官辦公室
由蒂姆·休謨，葉忒羅馬倫 和尤安McKirdy，美國有線電視新聞網
2014年10月2日 - 更新0024 GMT（0824 HKT）
觀看此視頻
示威者要求行政長官辭職
新聞提要
新：抗議者靜坐，在行政長官辦公室前
新： “我們不想打擾行政長官的日常生活，”活動家說：
新：抗議領導人說，佔領大樓“是最後的行動為我們”
香港的領先地位：人們應該滿足他們的領導者投票
你在嗎？分享你的圖像，但保持安全。
香港（CNN） -民運人士把他們的鬥爭週四香港行政長官的家門口，坐在外面的辦公室大門，以表達自己的不滿與他和北京中央政府。
一些示威者說，下一步可能會佔領政府大樓的內部。這將是一個大的動作，但有示威領袖說，這可能需要得到政府官員的關注和帶來的變化。
“我們仍然不能得到正常的，可接受的響應，”學生領袖約書亞黃，17，告訴CNN的安德魯·史蒂文斯。“這是我們最後的行動。”
在一些頭腦，這對冤家已經醞釀自從香港在過渡從1997年英國對中國的控制。
但緊張局勢八月下旬決定讓北京控制的香港行政長官候選人的石板在2017年後已經上漲 - 選舉電流特首梁振英強調將讓全市500萬合格選民挑選贏家，而不是1,200 - 人委員會堆放著北京的支持者認為選擇過去的領導人。
組圖：香港親民主抗議活動 組圖：香港親民主抗議活動
鑑於香港地 香港抗議鳥瞰意見 來自香港的原材料場景
那些感情已經蔓延到了亞洲金融中心的街道上，最近幾天，在什麼被稱為“傘革命”，因為使用的物品，以屏蔽對警察催淚彈和胡椒噴霧。大批市民呼籲真正的“普選” - 這不只是每人一票，但考生沒有任何限制 - 一般多叫了北京，他們聲稱是其對香港的侵蝕控制。
而且他們也已經要求梁辭職，他指責偏袒中國的中央政府，而不是香港的人。
這就是為什麼幾百個學生從主要抗議地點在梁的辦公室移動。
由於示威者居魯士辜，25，解釋說：“我們不想打擾行政長官的日常生活。”
威脅佔領政府大樓
該活動家是開放的與中國或其他香港領導人舉行會談，而與梁，運動的傀儡之一萊斯特岑說，星期三。他要求行政長官下台了週四晚上，否則抗議者將“佔據不同的重要的政府建築。”
開爾文翔，一名21歲的學生誰是幫助這類可回收垃圾箱附近的主要抗議現場說，他認為“更大的壓力，必須被提上政府的，否則他們會視而不見，以我們的行動。”
但他擔心佔領政府大樓，並將其描述為“非常有爭議的”和事中應僅作為最後手段的想法。他說，他擔心這會導致與警察和政府“衝突”。
他的同學王凱蒂，還21，更是謹慎。“我們必須保持安靜，”她說。“我們不能摧毀的城市。”
此前，惠春德，警察公共關係科總警司，在聯合警察及緊急服務新聞發布會上說，雖然抗議活動依然平靜，警方會繼續監察，以確保公共秩序和安全。
“警方再次呼籲示威者繼續保持冷靜，並離開位置有序，和平，盡快，這樣造成的不便向廣大市民可以最小化，”他說。他同時呼籲示威者讓路給緊急車輛。
到目前為止，83人 - 53名男性和30位女性 - 已經受傷了正在進行的抗議活動，根據政府的新聞官。官方不會對受傷的性質或程度發表評論。
第一次出國參加示威遊行
有些人是第一次參加抗議活動。尼克林，35歲的IT工作者，說他的工作和家庭都讓他走前面，但公眾假期允許他出席會議，發表了他的“長期不滿”與香港政府。
許多家庭的主要抗議地點，其採取在節日的喜慶氣氛，包括樂隊表演。
暴風雨香港繼續抗議 香港示威者不退縮
圖：在哪裡抗議圖：在哪裡抗議
博客：按照抗議CNN的報導
由於中國的國旗是平列香港的國慶慶祝活動在整個半自治的中國境內不同地點， 示威者表達了自己的不滿與大多內斂的抗議。
在金紫荊廣場的官方國慶升旗儀式，灣仔，民主派領袖約書亞黃，17，抗議與其他示威學生。
由黃，誰在關鍵的抗議活動被逮捕週五發布兩天後的帶領下，集團默默把他們的背上，舉起雙臂交叉為中國和香港的旗幟提高。
“我們越過我們的武器，因為我們想表達我們的不滿，對政府，以反映我們對中國中央政府的不信任，並反對全國人大決定8月31日表示，”黃，指的是北京的爭議作出裁決，允許只有經提名委員會候選人競選辦事處，作為香港的行政長官。
在積累到升旗，從黃的Scholarism組在儀式上呼籲民眾保持冷靜和克制的聲明在社交媒體網絡的示威者之間廣為流傳。
“就穿黑色，保持安靜與你的下巴向下或帶傘，”讀到一條消息。“不管你有多麼不喜歡的國家，影響到其升旗儀式只會是不敬的。”
有一個值得注意的抗議官方接待之後，在當地的區議員司馬文開了一個黃色的雨傘- 抗議運動的象徵 -為梁，抗議者的憤怒的主要目標，針對的人群。
“我覺得CY和警察局長欠香港一個道歉，無所不及......對他們做了什麼，”齊默爾曼告訴CNN子公司有線寬頻。
梁：“接受的安排”
示威者試圖改變北京的決定，審查候選人的行政長官的地位，他們認為有權在特別行政區投票，或特區，是沒有實際意義，如果考生決定在北京舉行。
他們擔心，香港的獨立性溜走，他們把指責中國中央政府未來香港市民的梁。
在他的講話在國慶招待會上，亮告訴與會者說，香港人應該接受這筆交易對他們的2017選舉原樣。
“這是可以理解的，不同的人可能會有一個理想的改革方案，不同的想法，但它肯定是最好有普選不是，”他說。
梁的提及普選是指新安排，使選民的個人投票，取代了以前的系統中，行政長官由選舉堆疊與北京友好任命一個1200人組成的委員會。
梁：中國不會妥協
示威者反對新系統，考生需要通過北京的批准。

“這肯定是最好有（首席執行長）選舉的500萬合資格選民超過了1200人，而這絕對是最好投你票的投票站，而不是呆在家裡看電視上的選舉的1,200名成員委員會投票，“梁說。
抗議活動開始之前，行政長官遭受了缺乏支持特區。由香港大學進行的一項調查民意研究計劃 9月17日和22之間有梁有只有21％的支持率。
佔據： “ 北京應該能夠聽'
這一結果並不被視為一個可以接受的解決方案，示威者，誰要說他們答應選出下從英國移交協議，向中國方面自己的領導人的權利，反對北京保否決候選人的能力。
尼大，主要的抗議運動之一的創始人之一，佔據中央，告訴CNN說，示威者“不推或挑戰中國對香港的主權地位。”
“我們希望有一個，我們應該享受的，不能多也不能少，”他說。
“我們希望在北京的領導人應該能夠傾聽並...回應港人的訴求。”
當局一直限制在自上週日以來，當警察投擲87催淚彈進入人群後，他們拒絕聽從調用分散，促使進一步的抗議活動的反應。
但示威者誓言不離開，直到他們達到自己的目標，觀察家們緊張地等待當局的下一步行動。
維克托高，中國國際問題的國家協會理事和一次性轉換為中國前領導人鄧小平告訴美國有線電視新聞網從北京的抗議是​​“違反法律，我認為這將被處理為這樣的。 “
“我想，如果有人在香港相信，通過這樣的行動，他們可以迫使中國大陸中央政府在這裡退縮，這是真正沉迷於幻想。”
在聯合國大樓在紐約週二，CNN的理查德·羅斯要求中國副常駐聯合國代表什麼，他想到了抗議活動。
王珉說：“什麼，在哪裡？香港是中國的一部分”，然後就走開了。
北京正遭受越來越多的國際壓力過抗議活動，與英國副首相尼克·克萊格說，他將召喚中國大使對有關示威的處理的關注。
親北京的團體
儘管在街道上的巨大的投票，並不是每個人都在香港是背後的抗議運動。
梁由親北京的團體，如沉默的大多數，為香港其中有他們自己的集會支持。他們認為，民運人士將“危及香港”，並製造混亂。
陳漢輝，一名57歲的在銅鑼灣，告訴CNN，他認為民主應該“一步一步來。”
“香港應該是穩定的，一切都應該是穩定的，我不希望股市或樓市將下降到可怕的程度。”