Hong Kong riot police used pepper spray Saturday to disperse dozens of students who had stormed government headquarters, but an equal number held their ground in protests against Beijing's tightening grip on the city.
Hundreds of students had forced their way past a police cordon and scaled perimeter fences at government headquarters, close to Hong Kong's financial district, on Friday in the culmination of a weeklong rally to demand free elections in the former British colony.
Riot police clashed several times throughout the night with protesters who had forced their way through a gate and scaled high fences into a courtyard in front of government offices. Some students had dispersed before police resorted to pepper spray on those remaining.