Police started to haul away a committed core of protesters who refused to leave the city’s main pro-democracy site Thursday as a clearance operation got underway after two months of rallies.

Police started to haul away a committed core of protesters who refused to leave the city's main pro-democracy site Thursday as a clearance operation got underway after two months of rallies.

Some were carried by groups of four officers while others were led off on foot. The dozens who remained lay on the road shouting, "We are peaceful", "We will not resist".