Hong Kong protest clearance in pictures and tweets
- Published
More than two months since protests erupted in Hong Kong's business district, bailiffs have moved in to dismantle the occupation camp. Several people who refused to leave have been arrested.
Protesters had been ordered to leave by 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT) on Thursday, but on Wednesday evening some 10,000 people turned up outside government offices in Admiralty for what many saw as one last rally.
The BBC's Babita Sharma tweeted;, external:
Some packed up and left, but as dawn came on Thursday, hundreds remained, saying they would wait until the very last moment.
The BBC's John Sudworth in Hong Kong tweeted, external this view from the barricades, as police buses lined up on the fringes
This wall was once covered in messages of the support for the protesters and their wishes for the future. These people were taking them down in the morning, leaving behind only the words: We are dreamers.
The defiant message "We'll be back" was repeated across the protest site, here spelled out in bedding on the occupied overpass.
At around 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT) and surrounded by journalists, court officials read out the injunction granted to a local transport company ordering protesters to clear the streets.
Court bailiffs and paid workers then moved in and started demolishing the barricades.
John Sudworth said the bailiffs met with little resistance as they began work.
The BBC's John Sudworth: China's "biggest challenge from the street in decades"
Many people gathered to watch the demolition - not everyone has supported the protests and there has been growing anger at the disruption to the city's life and economy.
This woman was berated by protesters as she celebrated the removal of the camp.
"There are no tents, no umbrellas and no protesters in the large numbers we have seen" reports Babita Sharma
The most ardent supporters have said they will not leave without being arrested. They have stayed behind the barricades, waiting for police to reach them. Police gave a 30-minute warning before announcing that arrests were about to begin.
The Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS), one of the movements behind the protests, tweeted about the first arrest - one of their members.
Despite the apparent end of two months of protest, the organisers insist their movement is not over.
