Messages of support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong are written on bits of paper stuck to the...
Messages of support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong are written on bits of paper stuck to the outside of Hong Kong House in central Sydney October 5, 2014. Fearing a police crackdown, Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters bowed to government pressure and said they would lift a blockade of key government buildings, but student leaders braced for a showdown in the heart of the Asian financial centre. Tens of thousands of protesters have staged sit-ins across Hong Kong over the past week, demanding the city's pro-Beijing leader Leung Chun-ying step down and for the right to vote for a leader of their choice in 2017. The Mandarin messages read: "No matter how the rain lashes, the seeds of freedom will bloom" (top) and "Hong Kong police". REUTERS/David Gray (AUSTRALIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS SOCIETY)