Hong Kong police defend response

Police in Hong Kong have defended their use of tear gas and other tactics to control protests that have paralysed the city’s financial district, appealing to the thousands gathered to demand more democracy to stop the unprecedented mass act of civil disobedience for the sake of safety and stability.

Crowds grew this evening as people finishing work joined weary-looking students camped on major roads near the government headquarters and in several other parts of the city. Uniformed police manned barricades and looked on, preventing access to some buildings, but did not otherwise intervene.