HONG KONG: Hong Kong police fired tear gas at protesters on Saturday after tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters rallied through the streets for expanded democratic rights and autonomy.

Police had warned protesters against deviating from an approved route for Saturday’s pro-democracy march, saying they would intervene if protesters refused to listen to police orders.

But protesters refused to comply, instead of establishing roadblocks and disrupting public transport.

At least for the time being, the protesters seem to be gearing up for a drawn-out struggle. Even as they were retreating from tear gas, they were looking ahead to another planned demonstration, shouting: “Strike on Monday!”