Three founders of a Hong Kong protest movement surrendered to the police on Wednesday, in a gesture meant to press the government to face up to demands for free elections and to coax demonstrators into abandoning street camps that have become increasingly exhausted and divided.
The protest movement that has gripped Hong Kong for more than two months has been carried along by theatrical acts and vivid images, and the protest leaders’ surrender to the police was more stagecraft. Their stay in the police station was brief, and they were not arrested.
“I hope an end to this movement could advance Hong Kong’s democracy,” Benny Tai, one of the three co-founders of the group, Occupy Central With Love and Peace, told reporters after coming out of the station. “I am at peace and I am hopeful,” he said. “I believe that as long as we persevere, Hong Kong’s democracy will have a bright future.”
Mr. Tai and the two other co-founders of Occupy Central, Chan Kin-man and Chu Yiu-ming, arrived at the main police station swarmed by supporters and reporters, while dozens of police officers managed the scene. Joseph Zen, a retired Roman Catholic cardinal of Hong Kong who has supported pro-democracy campaigns, also turned himself in; supporters cheered the four, and a group of opponents yelled insults. Minutes later, Shiu Ka-chun, a university lecturer who has supported the protests, also walked into the station.
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