...we hope
The Center Lane: A protester does some research in the center lane of the highway.
Speeches: Close to 10pm, the speeches began at the center stage of the protest. The crowd swelled from this point in the evening on as Josh Wong was slated to speak later in the evening.
Umbrella Man: The Umbrella Man sculpture is the work of an artist calling himself "Milk." The 3m tall statue quickly became a prominent symbol of the Occupy Movement after its installation at the main protest site in the Admiralty. Admiralty, Hong Kong 2014
Guarding the Barricades: At one protest site in the Admiralty, a student stands alone, resting on the barricades.
Education & Inspiration: After the first round of speeches, the protesters sat and watched a movie. The film was a documentary in English about the American protest movement of the 1960's. Starting with Berkeley and the battle against HUAC, then the civil rights movement.
Our Word Is Out Weapon: In the shadow of these massive protests, everyone with a microphone was inadvertently invited to air their thoughts in public. Faces were replaced with megaphones, however it was as difficult as ever to find open ears.
"At all costs try to avoid granting yourself the status of the victim. Of all the parts of your body, be most vigilant over your index finger, for it is blame-thirsty. A pointed finger is a victim’s logo — the opposite of the V-sign and a synonym for surrender." -Joseph Brodsky
The Wrong Hombre: The Coach/Referee of the soccer game gave the protesters their biggest tongue lashing of the day. He was apoplectic that people protesting the disruption of life caused by the Occupy protestors, as well as claiming to support the police, would monopolize the time and attention of the very same police and march directly into the an afternoon soccer league in the midst of play and completely take over the field bringing the game to an abrupt end. For the next 20 minutes, the Ref tore into the protesters and police alike.
Skirmishes: Back on Nathan St, the main threat to peace seemed to be the lone wolf. Individual Hong Kongers, incensed by two solid weeks of disruption to life in the city by the Occupy Central movement. This man began his assault with wild screaming and ended it by kicking over a trash can. This drew Occupy protesters to their feet, and got the attention of the foreign press and the police as quickly as sharks respond to chum. There was the palpable sense throughout Mong Kok that any fight, however small, could result in the entire protest dissolving into tear gas and bloodshed.
Umbrellas: The protesters didn't think twice about adopting the symbol of the umbrella after they used them to fight back against tear gas and pepper spray. The then spent the next two weeks telling anyone who would listen that this is not a revolution.
All For Naught: The Blue Ribbons (the anti-Occupy, pro-police protester) street action fizzled at the end of the day. Nothing was achieved. No one was happy.
Making: What was once thousands of people is now a small group making t-shirts, phone cases, and performing limited marches in the streets.
Christmas Cleaning: Christmas Day in the Admiralty, a protestor cleans his home.
