Thousands of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists clashed with police in the early hours of Monday as they tried to encircle government headquarters, defying orders for protesters to retreat after two months of demonstrations. The crowds, chanting "Surround government headquarters!" and "Open the road!", made their way to the buildings in Admiralty, next to Hong Kong's central business district and some of the world's most expensive real estate.
Scores of protesters with wooden shields and metal barricades charged police as officers warned them to retreat. Police, who have been accused of using excessive force, struck demonstrators with batons in a bid to push them back. Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters are demanding free elections for the city's next leader in 2017, not the vote between pre-screened candidates that Beijing has said it will allow.
