海角大神

Challenges to the week-old pro-democracy demonstrations in the streets of Hong Kong dubbed 鈥淥ccupy Central鈥� mounted Friday, with hundreds of pro-Beijing supporters and older residents of Hong Kong clashing with the youthful protesters, who are mostly led by university students.

A day after a midnight deadline came and went for Hong Kong鈥檚 top official, Leung Chun-ying, to meet the protesters鈥� demand that he step down, police linked arms in an attempt to keep the two sides apart amid signs of cracks in popular support for the protesters.

The demonstrators took to the streets to protest an electoral reform program in Hong Kong in which China was insisting that it vet candidates for chief executive elections in 2017. Beijing has shown no sign of giving in to the protesters鈥� demands, and has dismissed the weeklong street occupation as illegal. The protests are the most contentious since the former British colony reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.

In a press conference late Thursday, Mr. Leung refused to resign, warning the protesters of consequences should they occupy government offices but pledging that Hong Kong police would adopt an approach of 鈥渕aximum tolerance.鈥� He said his deputy, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, would meet student leaders soon to discuss the electoral reform program.

With residents of Hong Kong returning to work Friday after a two-day holiday, the street struggles were also taking on the appearance of a clash between generations, as the聽Associated Press reported聽that 鈥渧isibly older people鈥� were 鈥渟hoving and at times trying to drag younger protesters away.鈥�

The violent scuffles Friday followed days of mostly peaceful and polite protests since Sunday, when police sought to break up the demonstrations with baton charges, pepper spray, and tear gas.

According to Reuters, some 1,000 Beijing supporters in the bustling Mong Kok district, which is popular with tourists from the mainland, clashed Friday with about 100 protesters.

Many students came to protest out of concern for their long term prospects and that of Hong Kong and its identity and government -- as mainland China exerts ever more influence after the British handed over its former colony. But for the protesters, there are also immediate consequences to consider.聽

According to Peter Ford, 海角大神's correspondent in Hong Kong, direct confrontations with the police and arrests can give students a record, and this is a major constraint for many protesters.聽