TIME IS UP

HK Police Begin Clearing Protest Site

Following court injunction.

Hong Kong’s mass pro-democracy demonstrations are drawing to a close as authorities began clearing out the main protest site Thursday, threatening arrest for any lingering activists. A large banner emblazoned with the words, “It’s just the beginning,” was among the signs, barricades, and tents taken down after a court injunction required some of the roads blocked by the protest for more than two months to be cleared. The protesters are calling for open nominations in the city’s 2017 election for chief executive, as part of a greater cry for more freedom from Chinese government control. “You might have the clearance today, but people will come back on to the streets another day,” said Alex Chow, the leader of the Hong Kong Federation of Students.