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- Violent clashes with police broke out overnight as activists recaptured territory officers cleared in pre-dawn raids
- Hong Kong leader has still not agreed to meet with protest groups as anger over elections continues to build
It all began three weeks ago, when several hundred pro-democracy students stormed the Hong Kong government headquarters demanding a free and fair vote in the upcoming elections.
Since then the so-called Umbrella Revolution - named after the umbrellas demonstrators have been using to defend themselves against police pepper spray - has spiralled out of control, with tens of thousands of students engaged in violent running battles with officers.
Tonight has proved no different, as the activists' ranks have swollen once more. While some are digging in for the long-haul in city's finance district, where main thoroughfares remain closed, others have gone on the offensive to recapture old protest zones from the police.
A pro-democracy protester who gave his name as Jackie waits at a hospital to be treated for a head injury sustained during clashes with police in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong
Protesters fought police as they tried to recapture the Mong Kok protest area, which had previously been cleared in a pre-dawn raid
Residents shout at protesters gathered at a barricade, accusing them of being mainland Chinese who want to stir up civil unrest
A man is restrained after he confronted people standing next to a pro-democracy protest barricade in the district of Mong Kok
Passers-by shout at pro-democracy protesters as they continue their occupation of a road in Mong Kok on Sunday morning
A man wearing a helmet and carrying a Captain America shield stands alongside protesters at a barricade in Mong Kok on Sunday
Hong Kong police try to pacify a man, centre, opposed to the Occupy Central movement in Mong Kok on Sunday
Riot police advance on a pro-democracy protest encampment set up on the streets of Mong Kok in the early hours of Sunday morning
Holding shields and batons, Hong Kong police officers stand guard against pro-democracy protesters gathered in Mong Kok
The protesters' ranks have swollen again to the tens of thousands as they demand free and fair votes in the upcoming elections
Police stand guard next to a pile of broken umbrellas used by protesters - supporters of the so-called Umbrella Revolution
Despite pictures emerging of demonstrators bloodied after battles with police armed in riot gear with truncheons and shields, the sheer weight of numbers has allowed the pro-democracy movement to overwhelm police lines in areas such as Mong Kok, which the activists recaptured on Friday.
Officers have been using surprise pre-dawn raids to scatter demonstrators that have set up smaller fringe camps away from Admiralty, where the main protest is taking place. But as quickly as they tear down the camps, the demonstrators move back in.
In fact, rather than break their will, the violence being used against the demonstrators has drawn more to their cause. The police tactic of using tear-gas brought tens of thousands out on to the streets initially, and a video of cops beating a handcuffed protester weeks later rallied yet more to the cause.
It appears - for the moment at least - that the police have no idea how to deal with the worst unrest seen in Hong Kong in the last decade. But equally they cannot back down, as the Chinese leadership will not allow it.
Their splintered efforts have not been helped by the city's highly unpopular leader, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying - known as CY - who angered protesters when he abruptly called off scheduled talks last week, saying a constructive outcome was unlikely. He then revived the proposal for talks a week later, amid soaring tensions and public anger.
Following a night of violent unrest, protesters in Mong Kok returned to their peaceful tactics - with one woman reading in the road
Reclining on a makeshift bed, one man reads the newspaper as he joins protesters on the streets of Mong Kok on Sunday
Broken umbrellas and debris from dismantled barricades are removed from the streets on Sunday morning as police look on
An elderly man watches as people argue near a pro-democracy protest barricade in the Mongkok district of Hong Kong
A man in a mask is held back from attacking a group of people who had confronted pro-democracy protesters in Mong Kok
One protester, pictured centre, tries to calm the group as riot police advanced on their encampment in the early hours of Sunday
Police have been struggling to contain the worst unrest seen in Hong Kong for a generation as their heavy-handed tactics only draw more activists on to the streets
Riot police officers advance on a pro-democracy protest encampment in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong overnight
Pro-democracy protesters march toward police cordon wearing masks and goggles to protect against pepper spray and tear gas
Even if the talks materialize, they are unlikely to resolve the deadlock. Leung has repeatedly said that Beijing will not give in to the students' demand to open up nominations for the city's inaugural direct election in 2017, and he has little wiggle room to offer compromises.
'At this stage, Beijing is running the show. Beijing is dictating ways and means that it hopes the Hong Kong government will take to defuse the crisis,' a source said.
The only crumb of comfort the authorities can take from recent events is that, as the demonstrations drag out, the groups within the protest camps have become divided as to their aims and means of achieving them.
From the start, a key feature of the protests has been their amorphous and organic nature. Three groups at the heart of the movement have rallied the crowds and led efforts to negotiate protesters' demands with the government, but there's no central leadership.
Many taking part say the groups, headed by students and a law professor, do not represent them. That spontaneity appealed to many supporters, but it's become clear that the movement is unraveling at the edges and losing its unity of purpose.
A pro-democracy protester holds an umbrella in front of police during clashes on a street in Mong Kok in the early hours of Sunday
A policeman with a nightstick advances towards a female protester holding an umbrella, which the demonstrators have used to protect against pepper spray
The demonstration has been dubbed the umbrella revolution after the umbrellas the students have been using to protect against police pepper spray
Pro-demoncracy protesters rip down police barricades around the Mong Kok area as they reoccupy territory the authorities seized
As the standoff drags on, factions of more radical protesters are breaking off from the peaceful sit-ins at the main protest zone. For several nights in a row, large, rowdy crowds have stepped up their tactics to gain control of streets, scuffling with riot police.
Others responded to calls on social media for flash mobs and what police condemned as 'guerrilla tactics,' sporadically rushing into traffic to dump barriers in the road before running away.
Most protesters say they want the movement to stay peaceful, and some are frustrated by the divisions among activists.
While many things remain uncertain about the increasingly violent standoff between protesters and police, one thing remains certain: this will not be over anytime soon.
A protester wearing a Star Wars mask takes a picture on his phone in the main camp in the centre of Hoing Kong
Pro-democracy protesters, their faces covered, gather during an Occupy Central demonstration in Mong Kok District of Hong Kong
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