Hong Kong teen protester to go on hunger strike

A prominent Hong Kong teenage protest leader has said that he is going on a hunger strike after a failed attempt by pro-democracy activists to step up their flagging movement for democratic reforms by surrounding government headquarters.

Joshua Wong’s announcement came after protesters carrying umbrellas — which have become symbols of the pro-democracy movement —battled police armed with pepper spray, batons and riot shields for hours overnight before being driven off a main road outside the complex at dawn.

The government complex was forced to shut temporarily and the city’s Beijing-backed leader said public patience was wearing thin, adding that police would “continue to take decisive action to enforce the law”.