Iconic Photo Shows Umbrella as Symbol of Hong Kong's Protests

Many protesters stand undeterred despite tear gas from police in Hong Kong.

ByABC News
September 29, 2014, 2:53 PM
A pro-democracy demonstrator gestures after police fired tear gas towards protesters near the Hong Kong government headquarters, Sept. 28, 2014.
A pro-democracy demonstrator gestures after police fired tear gas towards protesters near the Hong Kong government headquarters, Sept. 28, 2014.
Xaume Olleros/AFP/Getty Images

— -- The umbrella has become the symbol of pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong as a weapon against pepper spray and tear gas.

This defiant demonstrator exulted Sunday in his low-tech resistance to police attempts to break up the protests, holding up the remnants of one battered umbrella and an apparently fresh one while standing in a fog of tear gas.

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The protests began after the Chinese government in Beijing said in August that the people of Hong Kong could elect their own leader if the candidates were pre-screened by the central government. Groups have recently joined the protests with hashtags like #OccupyCentral.

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PHOTO: A protester walks in tear gas fired by riot policemen after thousands of protesters blocking the main street to the financial Central district outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong, Sept. 28, 2014.
A protester walks in tear gas fired by riot policemen after thousands of protesters blocking the main street to the financial Central district outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong, Sept. 28, 2014.