Losing patience?
October 14, 2014
After a day of escalating tensions that saw clashes between Hong Kong's pro-democracy activists and anti-protest groups, police managed to reopen one of the city's main roadways to traffic on October 14. Some of the barricades that had been erected by the protesters in the business district were dismantled to clear the route as the demonstrations entered their third week.
Nevertheless, hundreds of protesters remain camped out at three large protest sites in China's special administrative region. Police appear to have adopted a more restrained approach after coming under intense criticism for their heavy-handedness in the initial days of the demonstrations.
But the police's actions also reflect the city's stance on the demonstrations. Although Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying recently told reporters that his government would exercise a high level of restraint, he also added that there was "zero chance" China's leaders would give in to protesters' demands and change an August decision limiting democracy.
Widening gap
The divide between the government and the protesters has been widening since talks aimed at resolving the issue were canceled by the government. Chief Secretary Carrie Lam announced on September 9 the decision to call off talks with students, after protest leaders had called for a rally to increase pressure on the authorities during the meeting.
The demonstrators' demands and methods were "sacrificing public good for their political demands and is against public interests and political ethics." This has weakened the ground for discussions, said Lam.
Following the cancelation, thousands of Hong Kongers flooded the city's streets, and the Hong Kong Federation of Students accused the government of "never having any sincerity to face the concerns of the Hong Kong people."
A hard line?
"The breakdown of negotiations means that it will be extremely difficult [for the student leaders and the government] to achieve a consensus to arrive at an agreement," Joseph Cheng, Chair Professor of Political Science of the City University of Hong Kong, told DW.
It is, however, still uncertain whether the Hong Kong government has decided to adopt a hard line after its decision to cancel the talks, he added.
"Although the authorities recently tried to crack down on the protesters, their attempt backfired leading to a change in tactics on the government side, offering negotiations and avoiding the clearance of protest sites," Cheng explained, stressing that while it remains unclear how long the protests will last, the pro-Beijing United Front has "certainly been fully mobilized to criticize and exert pressure on the protesters."
Against this backdrop, the number of protesters on the streets has begun to dwindle. Steve Tsang, professor of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham, told DW that events in the past two weeks were about two things: securing the protesters' demand for electoral changes in 2017, and insisting on the right of Hong Kongers to demonstrate peacefully.
"It was the latter cause that drew huge crowds, and given that the right to demonstrate peacefully was successfully secured, many decided to go home," Tsang underlined.
Shifting opinion
At the same time, public opinion in the city has been shifting against the protesters as people who have remained neutral are growing increasingly impatient, Cheng stressed.
Chan Kin-man, one of the organizers of the pro-democracy 'Occupy Central' movement, told journalists in Hong Kong that he hoped to see negotiations start as soon as possible.
"Public opinion could change as long as the negotiations haven't started. Moreover, the students will not let the government quell the movement," he said.
Tsang believes it is very unlikely that the Chinese government will reverse the decision of the National People's Congress' Standing Committee. "The basic demands of Hong Kong protesters cannot be met.
But it doesn't mean that they can't work something out. There are small things that can be adjusted and changed, making the situation easier for Hong Kongers to swallow," said Tsang.