– Protests to intensify –
Alex Chow, chairman of the influential Hong Kong Federation of Students, said student groups would intensify their protests if their call for Hong Kongers to nominate their own candidate to lead the city is ignored.
“We demand the government to respond to our call to endorse civil nominations,” he told the crowd.
“If we hear nothing from them, the students, the people will definitely upgrade the movement to another level,” Chow shouted.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong has become a regular gathering point for students agitating for greater democratic freedoms in the city.
The campus boasts a replica of the “Goddess of Democracy” statue which students gathered around during the 1989 Tiananmen protests in Beijing that were brutally crushed by the state.
The Hong Kong strike could breathe new life into the democracy campaign, which recently lost some steam after its senior leaders conceded that Beijing is highly unlikely to change its mind whatever they do.
Leaders from Occupy on Monday said they were encouraged by the student turnout.
“The future belongs to them (the students),” co-founder Benny Tai told AFP.
“I think that if they can stand up and demonstrate determination in wanting democracy in Hong Kong, I think that will be a clear message to Beijing and the government.”
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