Hong Kong protests turn festive after tear gas chaos

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Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters turned parts of Hong Kong into a massive street party on Monday night (Sep 29), with the mood turning festive just a day after riot police fired tear gas in ugly clashes.

The demonstrators are furious over last month's announcement by Beijing that while it will allow the city's next leader to be elected in 2017, it will insist on vetting the candidates, with critics branding the move a "fake democracy".

The huge crowds defied government calls to go home after Sunday's chaotic scenes, bringing key districts of the Asian financial hub to a standstill as they vowed to stay put until the Chinese government grants them free elections.

Sunday's violence saw riot police fire clouds of tear gas as they struggled to control the protesters, in one of the biggest ever challenges to Beijing's rule of the semi-autonomous city.

The anger gave way to a lighter atmosphere on Monday as riot police retreated, leaving huge masses of protesters in control of at least four major thoroughfares around the city.

Cantonese pop music filled the air during the second day of what some are dubbing the "umbrella revolution", as protesters have been using the canopies as shields against tear gas and the scorching sun alike.

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One British sympathiser won huge cheers as he set up a barbecue and began handing out hamburgers and sausages to the protesters.

Although there were few police on the scene, some protesters feared a repeat of Sunday's clashes, donning goggles and masks to protect themselves against tear gas.

"We can't relax too much," graphic designer Felix Kan told AFP. "This is still China - you never know what could happen."

Analysts say the protests put the Chinese government in an extremely difficult position. Communist authorities are worried that dealing with the protests too softly could encourage wider protests for greater freedoms on the mainland. But a heavy-handed response could spark an international outcry.

"It has the potential to be such a major crisis," said Christopher Hughes, a China expert at the London School of Economics. He warned to AFP that Hong Kong could see a repeat of China's violent crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests.

"If they did decide to send in the tanks, who could stop them?" he asked. "They did it in 1989 and got away with it and they're a lot more powerful now. There would be some negative impact, some business confidence, but how long will that last?"