Why umbrellas are the new symbol of Hong Kong’s Occupy Central protests

Hong Kong police used tear gas and pepper spray on Sunday evening, attempting to clear thousands of pro-democracy protesters who had gathered outside government headquarters. After spending hours holding tens of thousands of protesters at bay, police lobbed canisters of tear gas into the crowd after the sun set. The searing fumes only temporarily cleared the demonstrators, who used umbrellas to block the pepper spray and wore goggles and cellophane masks to protect against the tear gas. The students are demanding that police leave the square, that Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung resign and that China confirm they will allow them to vote for candidates of their choosing in 2017.

The police are determined to handle the situation appropriately in accordance with the law.

CY Leung, Hong Kong’s chief executive

The demonstrations—which Beijing called “illegal”—were a rare scene of disorder in the Asian financial hub, and highlighted authorities’ inability to get a grip on the public discontent over Beijing’s tightening grip on the city. Beijing last month rejected demands for people to freely choose the city’s next leader, prompting threats from activists to shut down Central. China wants to limit elections to a handful of candidates loyal to Beijing. While promising a fresh round of public consultation, Leung also described Beijing’s decision as “legally binding”.

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