Tens of thousands of protesters have blockaded the streets of Hong Kong to fight for democracy, shielding themselves from tear gas and pepper spray with surgical masks, goggles and umbrellas.
Demonstrators are outraged over China's plan for the 2017 vote for the city's leader. They want the democratic elections they've been promised, but China now says that candidates will have to be approved by a committee loyal to Beijing.
3 things you need to know now:
Beijing has called the protests illegal and endorsed the Hong Kong government's efforts to quell the demonstrations.
Protesters want Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to resign and allow a vote for the city's new leader.
Occupy Central leaders, who have become vocal representatives of the protesters, set a Wednesday deadline for government officials to meet their demands.
See what it's like to walk through the protest:
Mashable is covering the pro-democracy protests live. See our latest coverage here.
[View the story "Live Updates: Hong Kong's Pro-Democracy Protests" on Storify]
Live Updates: Hong Kong's Pro-Democracy Protests
Mashable covers Hong Kong's rapidly expanding pro-democracy protests.
Storified by Mashable· Mon, Sep 29 2014 15:01:28
What you need to know...
Sep 29 2014 11:00 AM EDT / Mashable
Mashable's Jenni Ryall put together this handy explainer of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. It explains what demonstrators are fighting for, how the confrontation escalated, the meaning of "Occupy Central," and what happens next.
Hong Kong Protests: What You Need to Know About the Umbrella RevolutionTens of thousands of protesters blockaded the streets of Hong Kong over the weekend to fight for democracy, shielding themselves from tear gas and pepper spray with surgical masks, goggles and umbrellas. The protest began peacefully on Wednesday but turned violent on Friday after police used batons and pepper spray to try to disperse the activists.
Police hold back
Sep 29 2014 10:40 AM EDT / The Associated Press
HONG KONG — Hong Kong's police on Monday defended their use of tear gas and other tactics to control protests that have paralyzed the city's financial district, appealing to the thousands gathered to demand more democracy to stop the unprecedented mass act of civil disobedience for the sake of safety and stability.
Police fire tear gas at demonstrators during a protest near central government offices in Hong Kong, China, on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014. Pro-democracy protesters kick-started their campaign to occupy central Hong Kong after police clashed with students, demanding that China withdraws proposals to control the citys elections. Photographer: Lam Yik Fei/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesBloomberg
Police said they used 87 rounds of tear gas on Sunday in what they said was a necessary but restrained response to protesters' efforts to push through cordons and barricades. They said 41 people were injured, including 12 police officers.
"Police cordon lines were heavily charged, by some violent protesters. So police had to use the minimum force in order to separate the distance at that moment between the protesters and also the police," Cheung Tak-keung, the assistant police commissioner for operations, told reporters Monday.
A pro-democracy demonstrator gestures after police fired tear gas towards protesters near the Hong Kong government headquarters on September 28, 2014. Police fired tear gas as tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators brought parts of central Hong Kong to a standstill on September 28, in a dramatic escalation of protests that have gripped the semi-autonomous Chinese city for days. AFP PHOTO / XAUME OLLEROS (Photo credit should read XAUME OLLEROS/AFP/Getty Images)XAUME OLLEROS
In a shift of tactics Monday, uniformed police manned barricades and looked on, preventing access to some buildings, but otherwise not intervening.
From Ferguson, with love
Sep 29 2014 8:16 AM EDT / Amanda Wills
FERGUSON, Missouri — Along with signs dedicated to Mike Brown, protesters in Ferguson on Sunday night also had banners of support for Hong Kong, where political demonstrations have turned the city into a scene of tear gas-fueled clashes.
Heather, a #Ferguson protester, wearing a sign that says "Stay strong #HongKong." http://t.co/9CnqFfERfLAmanda Wills
The signs, which read "Stay Strong" and "Hands Up! Don't Shoot!" in both English and traditional Chinese, were created by Keith Rose, who has been protesting in Ferguson since Aug. 11. Though Rose has been tear-gassed, arrested and even had a seizure while marching, the protests have cost him much more: his relationship with his best friend, who is from Guangzhou.
#Ferguson + #HongKong = #BikeForJustice http://t.co/8O2unzOLKfBridjes O'Neil
When Rose first started protesting after police shot and killed Mike Brown, he says his friend, who was born shortly after Tiananmen Square and speaks a minority language of that area, didn't agree with the march because he said Rose "didn't understand true oppression."
Printing signs in Chinese for #Ferguson protestors to send love to #HongKong tonight! http://t.co/7W2yaGOYZiKeith Rose
"He said we had it so good here and didn't agree with the protests," Rose said, as we stood behind a crowd of protesters who chanted in front of the Ferguson Police station. Some of the protesters carried the signs that Rose had printed just hours earlier.
'Sorry for any inconvenience'
Sep 29 2014 8:14 AM EDT / Brian Ries
Among many signs and messages from the pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, there is this: an apology from the demonstrators to the city's many commuters.
Message from a Hongkonger. On a shutdown bus in mong kok. #occupycentralfall4691
The message was taped to a shut-down bus in Mong Kok, a busy area in the Yau Tsim Mong District in Kowloon West populated with many markets and shopping malls.
Protests expand as riot police withdraw
Sep 29 2014 7:45 AM EDT / The Associated Press
HONG KONG — Pro-democracy protesters wearing masks and wielding umbrellas to protect against pepper spray and tear gas expanded their rallies throughout Hong Kong on Monday, defying calls to disperse in a major pushback against Beijing's decision to limit democratic reforms in the Asian financial hub.
Riot police withdrew from the extraordinary scene of chaotic tear gas-fueled clashes that erupted the evening before and the government asked the student-led protesters to disperse peacefully.
But the demonstrators, whose use of umbrellas, plastic wrap and other improvised defenses has led some to dub their movement the "Umbrella Revolution," remained camped out on a normally busy highway near the Hong Kong government headquarters. Supporters were using the phrase on social media.
'Umbrella Revolution' artist says scene frm #OccupyCentral reminded him of Tiananmen Tank Man http://t.co/5Sq0oD07Sy http://t.co/Me6uYN49k2SCMP News
Drone footage captures the massive protests
Sep 29 2014 7:46 AM EDT / Adario Strange
The political protests currently taking place in the normally sedate confines of Hong Kong, referred to by many on social media as "Occupy Central," have captured the world's attention. But despite the photos of the protests being shared online, the sheer scale of the massive protest may be lost on some, until now.
大會促梁振英下台 否則罷工罷市appleactionews
One of the local news agencies covering the protests, Apple Daily, has posted aerial drone footage of the protesters, giving international onlookers a better idea of just how big the protests have grown in recent days.
The four-minute drone video, accompanied by a techno-thriller music track, shows protesters and police streaming through the streets during last night's activities.