A protester recalls conditions inside campus and questions where the movement goes next

It took a lot of courage for Peter Lui to go down the sewage drain – but he thought it was better than surrendering to the police who had besieged Polytechnic University in Hong Kong.

Now, instead of celebrating his successful escape a few days ago, he has become despondent. After returning home, he burned all his protective gear and swore he would have nothing to do with the anti-government movement that began almost six months ago.

Beijing re-emphasises its rule in response to defeat for pro-government candidates

China’s government has responded to a stunning landslide victory for pro-democracy candidates in the Hong Kong elections by emphasising that the city will always be ruled from Beijing, and warning against further protest violence.

The foreign minister, Wang Yi, warned against “attempts to disrupt Hong Kong”, as a few hundred people took to the streets again in support of protesters holed up in a university that has been under siege by police for over a week.

Analysts say China’s response to victory of pro-democracy candidates in local elections will determine whether protests continue

The unprecedented landslide victory of the pro-democracy camp in the Hong Kong district council election was a “slap on the cheek” for the city’s government but the violent protests that have roiled the city for nearly six months will not stop if authorities continue to ignore citizens’ political demands, analysts have said.

In an effective proxy referendum on the city’s pro-democracy movement, nearly 3 million people voted, representing more than 71% of the electorate and nearly half of Hong Kong’s population.