HONG KONG (AP) – Three founders of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protest movement called Tuesday for an end to street demonstrations to prevent more violence and take the campaign to a new stage, but it wasn’t clear whether student protesters, who make up the bulk of the activists, would heed the call.
Professors Benny Tai Yiu-ting and Chan Kin-man and Pastor Chu Yiu-ming said they planned to surrender to police on Wednesday to take responsibility for protests that have shut down parts of the Asian financial center for more than two months.
Instead of street protests, the three said they hope to continue the campaign through networking among civic groups, community organizing and education in democracy and human rights.
The three are founders of the Occupy Central movement, which is trying to force China’s government to scrap its requirement that candidates in an inaugural 2017 election for Hong Kong’s leader be approved by a panel chosen by Beijing. However, the three represent only one faction of demonstrators, most of whom are students.
Joshua Wong, a prominent student leader, said Monday that he and two other members of his group would go on an indefinite hunger strike to press their demands.