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HK protesters turn uncertain
The originators of the Occupy Central movement suggest protesters should retreat, as a new poll shows support for the movement flagging.
Hong Kong: The originators of the Occupy Central movement suggest protesters should retreat, as a new poll shows support for the movement flagging.
In a random survey of 513 people conducted by the University of Hong Kong, 83% said pro-democracy protesters should cease their eight-week occupation of major roads in Hong Kong, while just 13% said the occupiers should continue.
"Given the backlash from the community, we have advised students to think of other forms of protest, instead of just focusing on occupations," Occupy Central co-founder Chan Kin-man told CNN.
"The occupation is controversial; it creates disturbance -- this is something we have to admit. We have to move to a new stage." The protest has now blocked major roads around Hong Kong nearly two months in an attempt to pressure officials into giving Hong Kong open elections for its next leader. But neither the Beijing or Hong Kong governments have shown any willingness to compromise, and some protesters have grown agitated.
Hong Kong's High Court has issued a series of injunctions authorizing police to begin clearing protest sites. A small section of the main protest site was cleared Tuesday, and larger clearances are planned in the coming days.
In the face of the impending action, protesters disagree over what should be done next. Chan and other protest leaders have proposed a "community education" campaign, in which democracy supporters would enter Hong Kong neighborhoods to sway locals to their cause. Another potential strategy is for the city's pro-democracy legislators to resign en masse. This would trigger a by-election, giving Hong Kongers a chance to demonstrate their support for the democracy movement by voting the legislators back in. Other hardline demonstrators advocate an escalation of the physical occupations -- though protest leaders discourage this.
Despite the uncertainty, the movement has already exceeded all expectations, said Chan. "Our original plan was people would just sit down, holding hands, and peacefully let police arrest us," he said. "We expected our Occupy Central movement would only last for a few days, not weeks or months."
