Hong Kong police yesterday opened a crucial traffic artery in the commercial district that has been blocked for roughly two weeks because of pro-democracy protests that have paralysed chunks of the Chinese territory.
Police started dismantling barricades on Queensway – a main road in Admiralty district along which Hong Kong’s trams cross the city – after protesters erected new bamboo blockades overnight. Police forced the remaining handful of protesters to remove their tents, which allowed them to open up the road to traffic.
The stalemate between the government and demonstrators was akin to a “new cold war mentality”, according to George Wong, 31, an artist who supports the students. The protesters who remained in the area were committed to staying, he said.