Siege nears end as elections loom
Streets quiet as protesters hope vote supportive
HONG KONG • Protesters trickled out of a besieged Hong Kong university campus on Friday as a weeklong siege appeared close to an end, while the city geared up for local elections that pose a test of public support for the pro- democracy movement.
Half a dozen protesters, holding hands and wearing face masks, left Hong Kong Polytechnic University and surrendered to police around dawn, with two more following shortly afterward, bringing to around 30 the number who have turned themselves in over the past day and leaving only a handful inside.
Police Chief Chris Tang called on the remaining protesters to leave, but said there was no deadline to clear them. “The situation is really dangerous inside the campus, we encourage them to come out as soon as possible,” he said.
The standoff, sparked by the police shooting of an anti- government protester and the death of another, was the most dramatic escalation in more than five months of unrest sweeping Hong Kong. Demonstrators pushing back against China’s growing influence on the territory are calling for full democracy and police accountability, among other demands.
Police have said those who surrender could face charges of rioting, which carry a maximum 10- year sentence.
“Not all of them want to leave,” said student leader Owen Li. “They still insist on staying and are refusing to be arrested to avoid any unfair circumstances.”
Stung by the arrests of hundreds of protesters this week, Hong Kong’s pro- democracy movement has spent the past few days regrouping and mobilizing for local elections on Sunday, which it hopes will deliver a resounding message of support.
Protesters have refrained from staging large- scale demonstrations in the past few days, for fear that trouble could tempt authorities to suspend the vote.
A poll released Fr i - day showed Hong Kong residents overwhelmingly blame the government and police for the violence that has marred the protests.
But the protesters did not escape blame, according to the random telephone survey of more than 1,000 people released by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute.
The survey showed more than 80 per cent of people said the government had to bear responsibility for the violence, while just under 40 per cent said protesters should.
The district elections are usually fought on local issues and tend to be lowkey. But both sides are now casting Sunday’s vote as a chance for people to express their opinions on the turmoil roiling the city. For the first time, all the district council seats will be contested.
District councillors’ seats make up a sizable portion of the committee that selects Hong Kong’s chief executive, with the other half handpicked by the Chinese government.