Hong Kong protests: Drone footage captures astonishing scale of “Occupy Central” protests

Hong Kong’s streets are overflowing with protestors.

 

As tens of thousands of people have taken to the city, drone footage released by a Hong Kong tabloid-style newspaper has captured the massive scale of the pro-democracy demonstrations known as "Occupy Central".

 

In the four-minute video, posted by newspaper Apple Daily, roads in Hong Kong last night are revealed to be blanketed by hordes of protestors and police.

 

The protestors camped overnight in the streets, and the former British principality came to a standstill today; banks, schools, shops and transport hubs were forced to shut down.

 

 

Markets have not gone unscathed either, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index falling 2.3 per cent this morning, while the Hong Kong dollar fell to a six-month low against the US dollar.

 

The crowds, who are protesting against Beijing-vetted candidates for Hong Kong’s next chief executive elections, show no sign of dissipating, according to the South China Morning Post.

 

Protestors have been met with tear gas and pepper spray from police, but “Occupy Central” co-organiser Dr Chan Kin-man told the paper: "Hongkongers are fearless towards tear gas and think it is manageable." 

 

Apple Daily is also hosting a live video stream of the protests here. 

 

However, as international and local news outlets continue to provide coverage of the protests, China has worked quickly to arrest the narrative.

 

Popular image sharing app Instagram has been shut down in mainland China to avoid proliferation of protest pictures. Furthermore, the state’s English language paper, The Global Times, claims the unrest has been stirred by foreign forces.