updated 2:24 AM EDT 10.07.14
Who's who in the Hong Kong protests?
By Wilfred Chan and Anjali Tsui, CNN
Student leaders Joshua Wong (L) and Alex Chow (R) helped launch the current protests. They are demanding "real democracy" for Hong Kong.
The occupied sites are fragile but sophisticated self-governed communities, sprawling across normally-busy roads.
C.Y. Leung, Hong Kong's chief executive, has evaded calls to resign. Instead, he has directed his deputy Carrie Lam (L) to attempt negotiations with student leaders.
Anti-Occupy Hong Kongers feel a deep disdain for the way today's protests are affecting the lives of ordinary citizens. Some have gotten into heated confrontations with protesters.
The police must eventually clear the protest sites, but are reluctant to inflame tensions by using force.
At least eight people triad backgrounds were among 30 arrested in Mong Kok over the weekend after starting fights and igniting anger between Occupy and anti-Occupy protesters.
China's president, Xi Jinping has so far remained tight-lipped about the protests.
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Hong Kong (CNN) - Protesters have occupied major districts in Hong Kong to demand full universal suffrage for the city, a culmination of decades of frustration among the city's democracy activists. But as protests in this city enter a stubborn second week, there hasn't been any real breakthrough.
On Monday, student leaders and the Hong Kong government agreed to an ongoing, open dialogue. But will their talks yield political change?
Here's our guide to understanding the different players, what they want, and why there's no easy solution.
The protest leaders
Who's calling the shots? The real answer is no one.
Last year, law professor Benny Tai came up with the idea to "occupy" Hong Kong's downtown Central district if the government didn't give Hong Kongers full universal suffrage. His Gandhi-inspired group is called "Occupy Central with Love and Peace."
But Occupy Central didn't kick off the current protests. Things blew up last week after three pro-democracy student leaders were arrestedat the end of a class boycott, and their supporters tear gassed. That's when tens of thousands of protesters spontaneously came out to occupy Hong Kong's streets, leading to the situation we have now.
The most famous student leader is a skinny 17-year-old named Joshua Wong -- he leads a group of high school firebrands called Scholarism, and enjoys popular support among protesters.
Also arrested were Alex Chow and Lester Shum from the Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS), representing university students. Chow and Shum are taking the lead in negotiating with Hong Kong's government, but the talks haven't gotten very far yet.
The students have one main demand: to bring "real universal suffrage and real democracy" to the city.
MREAD: Meet 17-year-old protest leader Joshua Wong
The encampments
The occupied sites are fragile but sophisticated self-governed communities.
While Tai may have come up with the idea to "occupy" and student leaders incited the protest, citizen protesters have now taken ownership of the movement, which they view as organic and leaderless.
The number of protesters at the main camp has dipped from last week, when the occupation felt like a cross between a summer music festival and a post-apocalyptic settlement.
The site sprawls across an eight-lane highway in Hong Kong's Admiralty district, spilling out into side streets fortified by makeshift barricades. A well-oiled volunteer system manages supplies, recycling and first-aid. Each night, exhausted protesters fall asleep on the pavement, clutching their mobile phones.
Three miles north, protesters have occupied some of the busiest streets in Mong Kok, a gritty, working-class shopping district famous for its thumping nightlife and triad ties.
The atmosphere here is more riotous. Last Friday, the encampment was attacked by crowds of older men who tore down tents, attacked students, and allegedly sexually assaulted women in broad daylight. Outraged supporters have rallied to the camp's defense, while police have struggled -- and often failed -- to keep the peace.
Protest leaders have tried suggesting that occupiers at Mong Kok leave and join those at Admiralty -- but the Mong Kok campers are stubborn and determined to stay. On Sunday, they hoisted a defiant banner: "If Mong Kok falls, Admiralty is done for."
Hong Kong's leader
C.Y. Leung, Hong Kong's chief executive, ishated with a passion by the city's pro-democracy citizens, who view him as an sly, imperious puppet of the Chinese Communist Party. And that's putting it politely.
His resignation has been a key demand of protesters since they took to the streets a week ago. Leung has repeatedly said he won't step down. Instead, he has repeatedly asked protesters to disperse, while directing his deputy Carrie Lam to attempt negotiations with student leaders.
On Monday, the government and protest leaders laid down a framework for several rounds of dialogue. However, it's doubtful whether Leung's administration can make any real concessions to protesters. The Hong Kong government's hands are largely tied by Beijing, which has firmly stated it will not allow Hong Kong to have the kind of democracy protesters are calling for.
Anti-Occupy Hong Kongers
Many Hong Kongers oppose the Occupy protests, and for many different reasons.
Some see the protesters as chasing a pipe dream, others say it's a mistake to upset Beijing.
Older generations are especially wary of civil unrest, having fled Communist China, lived through Hong Kong's leftist riots in 1967 and witnessed the Tiananmen square crackdown on pro-democracy protesters on their television screens in 1989.
What they all share is a deep disdain for the way today's protests are affecting the lives of ordinary citizens. With roads blocked, traffic has been snarled, commutes have been disrupted, and many schools have been forced to close. In Mong Kok, small business owners have reported a dramatic decline in sales.
A number of anti-Occupy voices have formed groups. Former journalist Robert Chow calls his group the "Silent Majority for Hong Kong," and says the protesters are "holding Hong Kong hostage."
READ: Robert Chow's op-ed for CNN
The police
The police's goal is to return the city to normal, but they miscalculated by using tear gas on student protesters last Sunday. Instead of dispersing the movement, it sparked outrage and hardened protesters' resolve.
To placate protesters, the police have dramatically scaled back their presence. In the last week, officers have made no effort to clear the protest camps, and just a handful of officers are stationed at each site. Some even chat with protesters.
Here's the dilemma: The police must eventually clear the protest sites, but using force could inflame tensions. But they can't wait too long, either: Some of the protest sites have gotten unsafe.
Triads
At least eight people with triad backgrounds were among 30 arrested in Mong Kok over the weekend after starting fights and igniting anger between Occupy and anti-Occupy protesters.
Hong Kong's triads are known for controlling smuggling, prostitution and illegal gambling rings. Some of their businesses in Mong Kok -- Hong Kong's red light district -- have suffered as a result of the Occupy protests.
While pro-democracy legislators and protest leaders have accused the government of sending triad members to disperse the protests, it's unclear who may have sent the triads or whether they came on their own accord.
Beijing
China's president, Xi Jinping, dreads dissent and separatism. As China's economy continues to grow, he has been eager to project an image of national unity and strength to the world.
So far, Xi has remained tight-lipped about the protests. Instead, Beijing has expressed its views through the state-run People's Daily newspaper, condemning occupations as "illegal acts" and dismissing the movement's potential to spread to the mainland as "no more than a daydream."
News articles, social media posts, and images of Hong Kong's protests have been heavily censored in China: as the first images of the occupation went viral, even Instagram became inaccessible.
The memory of China's 1989 Tiananmen square crackdown on pro-democracy protesters has loomed over Hong Kong and Beijing from the start. More than once, protesters have wondered whether Beijing will activate the 6,000 People's Liberation Army troops believed to be stationed in Hong Kong -- but so far, there's been no sign that will happen.
It's obvious China is displeased. What's less certain: how serious of a threat they consider the protests to be, and how they might respond.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/07/world/asia/hong-kong-protest-explainer/index.html?c=&page=0
