By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Managing Editor, Impunity Watch

BEIJING, China – Thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators forced the temporary closure of the Hong Kong government’s headquarters on Monday after they clashed with police as police used pepper spray and batons in an attempt to clear the streets for the morning commute of protesters outside in defiance of orders to retreat after more than two months of sustained protestors the streets of Hong-Kong. Chaos erupted in the streets as commuters made their way to work, with hundreds of protesters surrounding the Admiralty Centre, which houses offices and retail outlets, in a tense stand-off with police. The central government offices and the legislature were forced to close in the morning, as were several of sores.

(Video courtesy of The Wall Street Journal)

The recent clashes underscore the protester’s frustrations with the central government in Beijing for refusing to address their concerns. The government in Beijing has so far refused to budge on electoral reforms and grant greater democracy to the Hong Kong. Dozens of volunteer medics attended to several people who were injured during the clashes, some of whom were unconscious and others suffered head injuries. Police said at least 40 arrests were made as a result of the clashes with police.” The atmosphere in Admiralty is very different now after the clashes last night,” said Jessica Lam, aged 20, who returned to the protest site on Monday morning. “It has become very tense, like back to the early days when the protest just started.”

The democracy movement represents one of the biggest threats for China’s Communist Party leadership since the bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy student protests known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Protesters have continued to take to the streets in Hong Kong in what has become known as the Umbrella Revolution despite fears of government crackdowns.

China has been criticized for attempting to stifle stories coming out of Hong Kong during the historic protestors. The government censors stories from Hong Kong, filtering references to the protests on Chinese social media and news outlets. The government has also canceled a planned visit to the former British Colony by officials from the United Kingdom. In response to the recent unrest the Chinese government told a groups of members of the British Parlmement that they would be stopping a planned visit to Hong Kong, a former British Colony. Sir Richard Ottoway, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, accused the Chinese authorities of acting in an “overtly confrontational manner.” Sir Richard added that he would request an emergency Commons debate on the issue. He also added: “The real worry about this is that it sends a signal about the direction of travel that China is going on Hong Kong. Immigration is a devolved matter to the Hong Kong authorities, and it’s not for China to ban them.”

Earlier this month The House of Commons committee took evidence from Lord Patten, the former governor of Hong Kong, who criticized British politicians for not doing enough to support democracy in Hong Kong. He argued that the terms of the 1984 Joint Declaration between the UK and China, for the transfer of sovereignty to China which established a “one country, two systems” principle of governance, explicitly gave the UK a “legitimate” interest in Hong Kong’s future. “When China asserts that what is happening in Hong Kong is nothing to do with us, we should make it absolutely clear both publicly and privately that it is not the case,” he said.

For more information please see:

BBC News – China Blocks British MPs’ Visit To Hong Kong – 30 November 2014

The Guardian – Hong Kong Protesters and Police Face Off As Violent Exchanges Continue – 30 November 2014

Reuters – Hong Kong Protesters Clash With Police, Government HQ Closes – 30 November 2014

The Wall Street Journal – Violence Flares in Hong Kong as Protests Reignite – 30 November 2014