Hong Kong demonstrators retake protest site

Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong have retaken parts of the Mong Kok district where they set up a protest camp just hours after it was cleared by authorities.

The BBC reports roughly 9,000 activists clashed with police as they moved to re-occupy the area on Saturday. Roughly 26 people were arrested.

{mosads}Demonstrators have been out in force across the city for weeks, protesting China’s rules on who can run in the next leadership leadership election in 2017. The activists are calling for Hong Kong’s chief executive Leung Chun-ying to step down, NPR reports.

After protesters formed new barricades and set up obstacles in the Mong Kok district on Saturday, Hong Kong Police Commissioner Andy Tsang Wai-hung issued a statement.

Tsang called the demonstrations “unlawful assembly.”

On Thursday, the government said it would meet with student activists to resolve the dispute but a deal is unlikely without approval from Beijing.