Hong Kong protesters clash with police

Tensions flare as hundreds of protesters storm past police
lines and try to block access to government buildings .
Hundreds of protesters have clashed with police in Hong
Kong , as demonstrators stepped up a street campaign pushing
for free elections and democratic reforms in the Chinese -
controlled city state.
Police officers armed with pepper spray, batons and riot
shields charged at the protesters as they tried to disperse
them , making at least 40 arrests in the scuffles .
Demonstrators stormed past police lines overnight on
Sunday as they tried to surround government headquarters ,
erecting new barricades from metal railings and plastic cable
ties. As a result, the central government offices and the
legislature were forced to temporarily close on Monday
morning.
Right now (05 : 00 GMT), it is relatively peaceful compared
to the violent scenes we saw last night . The police have
retreated and some of the barricades have been removed.
There have been some small outbursts in various areas
where one particular protester was removed from the scene
in a stretcher .
But peace has been restored as we wait for the next move
from either side .
Police have issued a statement condemning the protests ’
organisers who they say are inciting the violence against the
officers .
Protesters and organisers say the level of violence and
tactics used by the police last night were unnecessary and
unfortunate.
As morning approached, police began clearing roads leading
to government offices , scattering protesters and demolishing
their tents following the overnight clashes.
The latest flare - up between police and protesters marks an
escalation in the civil disobedience movement that first started
three months ago . It also underscores the frustration of
protesters at Beijing ' s refusal to budge on electoral reforms
and grant greater democracy to the former British colony .
The protesters are demanding free elections and to be
allowed to choose their candidates for the 2017 elections
without interference from Beijing while China ' s communist
authorities insist candidates for the 2017 vote must be vetted
by a loyalist committee.
Al Jazeera ' s Rob McBride, reporting from Hong Kong ,
said hundreds of police had cleared the area by Monday
morning, pushing protesters back more than 200 metres.
Our correspondent said it was the worst outbreak of
violence since protests began in late September, with police
eager to clear the site before the Monday morning rush -
hour .
Police had earlier warned they would not let the protesters
"illegally occupy " Lung Wo Road , a major thoroughfare
that connects the east and west of Hong Kong .
McBride reported that police lost control of the main protest
site, as several hundred demonstrators spilled over into the
streets.
Student protest leaders told thousands rallying at the main
protest site outside the government headquarters that they
would escalate their campaign .
Protesters said they would occupy the road until Monday
morning to prevent Leung and other government officials
from getting to work.
The protests drew tens of thousands of people at times during
their first weeks , but the number of protesters have dwindled
as the movement' s leaders struggle to keep up momentum .