Ten-year anniversary of Hong Kong’s umbrella movement – in pictures

Hong Kong police fired pepper spray at pro-democracy protesters on the first day of the Occupy Central campaign that began on 28 September 2014.

The heavy-handed police response inspired thousands to join in the protest

Demonstrators gathered at the entrance to the office of Hong Kong’s chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, as well as occupying the streets outside the government’s headquarters

Regular clashes between police and protesters proved ineffective in dispersing the crowds of pro-democracy activists

The students taking part in the occupation ended up in a stand-off with the authorities that lasted for months

The protest was initiated after a decision to allow Hong Kong to hold elections but only featuring candidates pre-approved by the mainland Chinese government

Yellow ribbons and clothes, which had been used by the women’s suffrage movement, were adopted by the umbrella protesters

Repeated attempts to negotiate with student leaders ended in failure as they objected to forceful attempts to clear the blockades

There were frequent accusations of unlawful actions by the police in their attempts to disperse the protesters

At one point, pro-democracy protesters opened their umbrellas for 87 seconds, marking the 87 rounds of teargas fired by the Hong Kong police at unarmed student protesters

The number of people taking part in the occupation swelled to about 100,000 at its peak, confounding police efforts to break it up

Protesters adopted the three-finger freedom salute from the film The Hunger Games as the occupation moved into November

A pro-democracy protester holds up a banner that reads: ‘I want real elections’

A life-size cutout of the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, was placed among the tents and shelters of the main camp

Joshua Wong, a co-founder of the pro-democracy activist group Scholarism, became a leading spokesperson for the movement

Alex Chow, the leader of the Hong Kong federation of students, became another figurehead for the movement alongside Wong (right)

Authorities eventually succeeded in removing the barricades at the edge of the Occupy Central campsite and the protesters dispersed by mid-December