Hong Kong protest leaders said Monday that police intend to charge at least nine activists, including students and academics, who helped organize or lead Hong Kong's prodemocracy protests in 2014.

News of the move to charge the activists comes a day after a new Beijing-backed city leader was chosen to run the Asian financial hub and vowed to unify a divided Hong Kong.

The "Umbrella Movement" street occupations in late 2014 called for genuine democracy in the former British colony, and paralyzed key roads for 79 days.