Summary:Hong Kongâs protests, dubbed the âUmbrella Movementâ by its organizers, began on September 23, 2014, when a group of university students organized by the Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS) and another student organization called Scholarism, marched through central Hong Kong to protest against the Chinaâs National Peopleâs Congress Standing Committeeâs (NPCSC) August 31, 2014, decision, which would restrict the number of and manner in which candidates for the cityâs next Chief Executive may be selected. The NPCSC decision could lead to the election of the Chief Executive by universal suffrage, as provided for in Hong Kongâs Basic Law (which grants Hong Kongâs âhigh degree of autonomyâ under Chinaâs âone country, two systemsâ policy) and the NPCSCâs December 2007 decision. In the days immediately following the march, thousands of protestors gathered in Tamar Park, the site of Hong Kongâs main government buildings, calling for a meeting with Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying (C. Y. Leung). The Hong Kong government declared the demonstrations illegal, and called for the protesters to leave Tamar Park. Early on September 26, a group of students evaded a police cordon and staged a sit-in at an open air courtyard outside of the Hong Kong governmentâs main office building, known as Civic Square. After some clashes between the police and the students, several students were arrested. On September 28, another group, Occupy Central with Love and Peace (OCLP), announced its decision to support the ongoing student protests.
