A year ago yesterday, police fired tear gas on pro-democracy protesters in Admiralty. It sparked street demonstrations that lasted over two months until mid-December and that, at one point, immobilised key parts of the city, from Central to Causeway Bay on Hong Kong island, and Mong Kok in Kowloon.
Here’s a look back at the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests, through 20 original Coconuts Hong Kong photos:
On Sept. 28, 2014, student protests in front of the government complex escalated, leading to the police using pepper spray and tear gas.
An elderly couple tries to reason with a police officer on Sept. 28, 2014.
Protesters, wearing masks and ponchos, ran away from one of the first canisters of tear gas fired upon protesters on Sept. 28, 2014.
Crowds streamed away from the protest site after police fired tear gas on Sept. 28, 2014.
The night after tear gas was fired, many Hongkongers joined the demonstrations.
By Sept. 29, 2014, protesters had occupied streets in the busiest parts of Causeway Bay, with volunteers manning supply stations.
Mong Kok’s streets also became crowded with demonstrators demanding democracy, as seen here on Oct. 3, 2014.
Protesters faced off with masked gangs that tried to tear down pro-democracy protesters’ structures in Causeway Bay on Oct. 3, 2014.
The “Lennon Wall”, where people stuck Post-It notes on a public staircase, became a symbol of the protests. Oct. 13, 2014.
Protesters built a “Study Corner“, where students could do their homework or receive free tutoring, in the middle of Admiralty’s busiest streets. Oct. 14, 2014.
On Oct. 28, 2014, protesters marked one month since police had fired tear gas in Admiralty.
Mostly elderly people attended anti-Occupy protests, including this one in Chater Garden on Nov. 3, 2014.
Pro-democracy lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan got caught in the frontlines of a violent altercation between police and protesters as he tried to keep the peace in Admiralty on Dec. 1, 2014.
Tactical police officers held protesters back in Admiralty on Dec. 1, 2014, after they cleared them off the roads that they were occupying.
In the early hours of Dec. 11, 2014, protesters prepared to take down their camps ahead of the police’s planned clearing of the Admiralty protests.
On Dec. 11, 2014, workers dismantled the illegal structures built by pro-democracy protesters in Admiralty.
Police closed off the Occupy camp in Admiralty on Dec. 11, 2014.
A protester is led away from Admiralty by police on Dec. 11, 2014. The police had given repeated warnings that any protesters remaining inside the camp would be arrested, and many chose to stay behind intentionally.
Arrested protesters threw three-fingered salutes, a “Hunger Games” symbol, as the Causeway Bay Occupy camp, the last of the three major protest sites, was shut down by police on Dec. 15, 2014.
Photos: Laurel Chor
