From an airport sit-in to violent clashes in a suburban area to aimless marches through busy shopping districts, Hong Kong's weekend of unrest illustrated the challenge of quelling a protest movement that's leaderless, unpredictable and widespread.
Police on Sunday fired tear gas and charged at thousands of black-clad protesters who gathered to air their grievances for the eighth straight weekend. They marched east through the city's central business district, then west, before spontaneously splitting in two. The shifting tactics seemed to catch police off guard as demonstrators again focused their anger at officers following a day of clashes in Yuen Long, near the mainland Chinese border.
By Sunday night, clouds of tear gas hovered over the normally buzzing downtown area of Sai Ying Pun, which also hosts the Chinese government's main office in Hong Kong. Protesters vandalized the building last week, drawing stern warnings from Beijing and sparking fears that China's military would be called in to restore order.