Hong Kong Democracy Protests. (WSJ) (Guardian).
Live blogging here from WSJ and here from Guardian
A widespread student boycott continues in Hong Kong, but not everyone is participating.
Many students from mainland China studying in the city have kept up their class attendance, while thousands of their Hong Kong classmates have been drawn to pro-democracy marches. In a rare window into how Chinese citizens view the events unfolding in Hong Kong, some mainland students expressed a range of thoughts on the protests Tuesday, from cautious support to apprehension.
Some said they feared that they would risk losing their student visas or disappointing family back at home if they participated. Others said they had mixed feelings about the protests themselves.
“I’m very supportive of these activities,” said Eta Yu, a 21-year-old University of Hong Kong exchange student. But, “I promised my family not to get involved.”
Benny Tai, the University of Hong Kong law professor who conceived the Occupy Central movement, said Tuesday he has mixed feelings about how events have unfolded.
“I think we are facing a situation that no one could have anticipated,” Mr. Tai said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “The world is watching us.”
Mr. Tai said the group is still planning its actions for the days ahead and he repeated calls for Chief Executive C.Y. Leung to step down and for Beijing to withdraw a decision last month to effectively prescreen candidates for the election of Hong Kong’s top leader.
“We may have to consider further action,” he said.
Mr. Leung earlier Tuesday said ”the Chinese government won’t give in to threats asserted through illegal activity,” in his first media briefing since Sunday’s police crackdown on the swelling protest. Authorities have repeatedly stated that the Occupy movement’s protest activities are illegal.
View of #occupycentral protests now. Crowd building. Periodic speeches and chants erupt. pic.twitter.com/uJ2bqFZ1vu
— Kathy Chu (@chukathy) September 30, 2014
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