HONG KONG — Pro-democracy campaigners called off negotiations with Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying on Friday, less than a day after the city's leader agreed to open talks to end the deadlock. The decision came after demonstrators and supporters of Beijing rule clashed in the crowded Mong Kok district. Demonstrators, who are demanding the right to choose candidates in the 2017 elections, have blocked the district's streets for more than a week and seemed to enjoy local support. But on Friday morning, several thousand lashed out at the "Umbrella Revolution," shouting "We're taking back Hong Kong!"
The protesters blamed China for the assaults, which involved men who toppled tents and attacked people in the streets. Earlier, Leung Chun-ying refused protester-led demands for his resignation, and while he did agree to talks with student leaders, there was no indication exactly when they would take place, or who would be involved. The protest movement includes a number of disparate groups but is the largest challenge to Chinese authority since Beijing took control of the former British colony in 1997.
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