(NBC NEWS) The “Umbrella Revolution” is not going anywhere. If anything, it is spreading.
Pro-democracy protesters again defied Chinese officials and took to Hong Kong’s streets Monday. They carried umbrellas and wore goggles to protect themselves from police batons and tear gas amid the worst unrest the former British colony has seen in decades.
The protesters had one advantage: momentum. Dramatic scenes of thick tear gas clouds and young protesters dragged away by riot police have captivated Hong Kong and the world, evoking memories of the 1989 demonstrations the culminated in the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown. China limited reporting of the Hong Kong protests mostly to official statements that condemned them as "illegal action" and blocked images of the unrest from appearing on social media sites.