IN PICTURES: A Chaotic, Violent Day In Hong Kong, As Police Clear Streets

By Eyder Peralta / NPR

Published October 14, 2014 at 1:55 PM PDT

This story was published more than 10 years ago.

Pro-democracy protesters shout at police forces outside the central government offices in Hong Kong.

A pro-democracy protester meditates on an occupied bridge leading to the financial Central district in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

A couple, running late for their wedding ceremony due to the occupation of the main roads by pro-democracy protesters, run towards the marriage registry, in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

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Policemen stand guard on a blocked road behind an installation of paper umbrellas, considered a symbol of the Occupy Central movement, at the Causeway Bay shopping district in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

A protester cries after police removed barricades that protesters had set up to block main roads in Central district in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

Police officers advance on pro-democracy protester to clear them out of an area near the central government offices in Hong Kong Wednesday.

A police officer sprays a pro-democracy protester in the face with pepper spray in Hong Kong on Wednesday.

A police officer shouts at a pro-democracy protester after he was hit with pepper spray in Hong Kong on Wednesday.

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A police officer detains a pro-democracy protester after he was tackled to the ground in Hong Kong.

Pro-democracy protesters lay bricks inside a vehicle tunnel to block traffic leading to the financial Central district near the government headquarters in Hong Kong early Wednesday.

Police officers ask protesters to move to a nearby park outside government headquarters in Hong Kong's Admiralty district.

A demonstrator climbs over barriers as others block the main road with metal and plastic safety barriers outside government headquarters in Hong Kong's Admiralty district.

Pro-democracy protesters clash with police officers on a street outside of the Hong Kong Government Complex.

Pro-democracy protesters set up barricades following a standoff with police outside the central government offices in Hong Kong.

Police forces arrest a pro-democracy protester outside the central government offices in Hong Kong.

Over the past day, police in Hong Kong have been trying to clear the streets blocked by demonstrators engaged in acts civil disobedience.

As NPR's Frank Langfitt described it, police played a game of whack-a-mole with protesters. They cleared streets only to have protesters erect roadblocks elsewhere.

As Tuesday turned into Wednesday, the clashes turned more violent, as police used pepper spray to disperse the protesters. If you remember, demonstrators — many of them students — took to the streets more than two weeks ago, demanding to vote for their representatives directly.

The story today is best told through pictures. So we'll leave you with a few:

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