Hong Kong authorities have begun removing barricades from protest areas after almost two months of occupation by pro-democracy protesters.
The area being cleared is in front of Citic Tower in Admiralty, the central part of Hong Kong. The strong action was expected this week, after the government and protesters remained in a stalemate for weeks with little productive progress.
It follows an order by Hong Kong’s High Court in October, which granted permission for bailiffs to begin to clear out two of the three main protest areas in Mong Kok and Admiralty.
The protesters in Hong Kong have remained relatively peaceful since the occupation started on Sept. 26 in reaction to the Beijing Government's announcement it would screen candidates for Hong Kong's 2017 election. Despite initial use of tear gas and pepper spray by the police, protesters have since been allowed to camp in the streets of Admiralty, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok for weeks without any serious action.
As the protest entered its eighth week, it resembled a community gathering more than a protest site, as students have set up learning centers, food points and art projects.
The removal of barricades by court workers, who are cutting plastic ties with scissors, came up against little opposition from protesters on Tuesday. To attempt to keep the peace, some students even started to remove the barricades themselves, while others demanded to see a map showing the areas covered by the injunction that were to be cleared for employee's access to the Citic Tower.
The bailiffs ignored the protesters and started clearing the barriers blocking Lung Wui Road, to grant access to Citic Tower, around 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday. It is thought to be the first step by authorities in breaking up the central site, after a public survey by Chinese University showed 70 percent of Hong Kong residents believed it was time for protesters to go home.
Hong Kong officials begin clearing part of protest site; protesters offer no resistance http://t.co/yxQeeIDmsr pic.twitter.com/AyY4qSrJge— WSJ Asia (@WSJAsia) November 18, 2014
LIVE from CITIC: ppl challenge bailiff to clarify on injunction administering area. #Hongkong #UmbrellaRevolution pic.twitter.com/5OvfRltpIb— HKDemoNow (@hkdemonow) November 18, 2014
At #HongKong Citic Tower, media prepare for barrier removal by bailiffs #OccupyHK pic.twitter.com/BCPfWpXZu2— SCMP VideoMoJo (@SCMPVideoMoJo) November 17, 2014
And so it begins: Bailiffs begin removing barricades from #HongKong protest site http://t.co/maMwePBjA4 #OccupyHK pic.twitter.com/p6Ru8RtcRy— Coconuts Hong Kong (@CoconutsHK) November 18, 2014