Thousands of people joined a demonstration outside Hong Kong’s government headquarters after the pro-democracy movement Occupy Central announced the start of its campaign of civil disobedience. Occupy Central organizer Benny Tai called for his supporters to join Hong Kong university and high school students protesting outside the Legislative Committee building in central Hong Kong early on September 28.

Hong Kong police arrested 61 people, including 17-year-old student leader Joshua Wong, at an overnight demonstration on Friday, September 26. Police used pepper spray after protesters scaled barricades to occupy an area outside the building known as Civic Square. The start of the Occupy Central campaign, which has threatened a blockade of Hong Kong’s financial district, had been expected on October 1. Beijing’s decision to reject calls for open nominations for the election of Hong Kong’s chief executive in 2017 has angered Hong Kong’s pro-democracy campaigners. A transition to democratic elections was a condition of the 1997 handover of the former British colony to China. Credit: YouTube/Lukas Messmer