Even as Hong Kong grapples with a violent university siege that has captivated the world, things could potentially get even worse this weekend if the government scraps the city's first exercise of democracy since the unrest began in June.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam's government has threatened to postpone local elections on Sunday if there is renewed violence, a move that risks inflaming protests. With most legal marches and rallies banned by the government in recent months, the historically low-key elections have emerged as one of the few ways Hong Kong's masses can voice their opinion on the state of the city.
Lam can delay the election for up to 14 days, or even longer if she again invokes the colonial-era Emergency Regulations Ordinance, which was used in October to ban face masks worn by protesters. That was ruled unconstitutional by a Hong Kong court earlier this week, a decision strongly criticized by Beijing.