HONG KONG — Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters looked to be hunkering down for the long haul on Saturday, the day after demonstrators answered their leaders’ calls to flood the streets. Across the main protest zone in Admiralty — a section of the city’s central business district — blocks of camping and popup tents have sprung up alongside the original supply and medical shelters, transforming the area into a camp. Facilities like a library, tutoring area where regularly scheduled classes are held and shower tents also appeared in all three protest areas. Hong Kong police have not given an official estimate, but protest organizers put number of those out showing their support for reform at 100,000.
“We urge Hong Kong citizens to take their tents and camp out at Admiralty,” Joshua Wong, the teen student leader behind much of the activism, declared on Thursday. The protesters themselves have changed. A week ago, the streets of the protest areas were filled almost exclusively with students and young professionals. On Friday night there was a noticeable uptick in the number of older supporters, the day after Hong Kong’s leaders called off talks with demonstrators demanding free elections.
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