The Hong Kong Federation of Students and Scholarism began protesting outside the government headquarters on 22 September 2014 against the NPCSC's decision.[7] On the evening of 26 September, several hundred demonstrators breached a security barrier and entered the forecourt of theCentral Government Complex, which was once a public space that has been barred from public entry since July 2014. Officers cordoned off protesters within the courtyard and restricted their movement overnight, eventually removing them by force the next day.[8][9] Occupy Central announced that they would begin theircivil disobedience campaign immediately.[10]
On 28 September, protesters blocked both east-west arterial routes in northern Hong Kong Island near Admiralty. Apparent rough-handling by police, including the unnecessary use of tear gas, and attacks on protesters in Mong Kok by opponents that included triad members, triggered more citizens joining the protests.[11][12] The government set 6 October as a 'deadline' for the protests to end, but this was ignored by protesters, although they allowed government workers to enter offices that had previously been blocked.[13] The state-run Chinese media claimed that the West had played an "instigating" role