Pro-democracy protesters sleep on a street outside the Hong Kong Government Complex on October 5, 2014. Chris McGrath/Getty
Pro-democracy protesters sleep on a street outside the Hong Kong Government Complex on October 5, 2014.
Pro-democracy protesters sleep on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 6, 2014. Chris McGrath/Getty
Pro-democracy protesters sleep on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 6, 2014.
A pro-democracy protester sleeps on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 5, 2014. Chris McGrath/Getty
A pro-democracy protester sleeps on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 5, 2014.
A pro-democracy activists sleeps on a roadside divider outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 9, 2014. Chris McGrath/Getty
A pro-democracy activists sleeps on a roadside divider outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 9, 2014.
Pro-democracy protesters sleep on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 10, 2014. Chris McGrath/Getty
Pro-democracy protesters sleep on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 10, 2014.
A pro-democracy protester sleeps on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 10, 2014. Chris McGrath/Getty
A pro-democracy protester sleeps on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 10, 2014.
A pro-democracy protester sleeps at a road block outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 8, 2014. Chris McGrath/Getty
A pro-democracy protester sleeps at a road block outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 8, 2014.
A pro-democracy protester sleeps on a concrete road divider outside the Hong Kong Government Complex on October 5, 2014. Chris McGrath/Getty
A pro-democracy protester sleeps on a concrete road divider outside the Hong Kong Government Complex on October 5, 2014.
Pro-democracy protesters sleep on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 10, 2014. Chris McGrath/Getty
Pro-democracy protesters sleep on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 10, 2014.
Pro-democracy protesters sleep on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 10, 2014. Chris McGrath/Getty
Pro-democracy protesters sleep on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 10, 2014.
A pro-democracy protester sleeps on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 10, 2014. Chris McGrath/Getty
A pro-democracy protester sleeps on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 10, 2014.
A pro-democracy protester sleeps near Hong Kong's Government complex on October 10, 2014. Chris McGrath/Getty
A pro-democracy protester sleeps near Hong Kong's Government complex on October 10, 2014.
A pro-democracy protester sleeps on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 6, 2014. Chris McGrath/Getty
A pro-democracy protester sleeps on the street outside Hong Kong's Government complex on October 6, 2014.
Chris McGrath was walking through Hong Kong when inspiration struck.
The Getty photographer had worked through the night covering the pro-democracy protests. As the sun rose over the city, he happened upon a row of protesters fast asleep on the sidewalk. Some had shaded themselves with umbrellas, which have become an international symbol of the protests. Others had carefully removed their shoes and were lying atop what appeared to be yoga mats. The most exhausted of them looked like they’d simply lain down on the first patch of bare pavement they could find. McGrath was taken by what he saw.
“I had already thought of doing a portrait series of the protesters, but then this seemed more telling,” McGrath says. “So I started treating the concrete barricade as my studio backdrop.”
McGrath, who is based in Tokyo and covers all of Asia, says some protestors return home for the night, but others remain on the streets to ensure the protests continue around the clock. During the first week of the protest, which began late last month, people slept in the open. Nowadays, as the protests wear on, people are making themselves a little more comfortable with tents and other amenities.
The protest, also known as the “Umbrella Protest” for the umbrellas people use to protect themselves from pepper spray, started during the last week of September. Protesters are demanding greater democracy in Hong Kong and less interference from China in the 2017 elections. It was largely students on the front lines when the protest started, but McGrath has seen the movement diversify to include ordinary citizens and a group calling itself the Occupy Central pro-democracy movement. The protests have been largely peaceful, but skirmishes erupted Monday between Occupy Central and those who oppose the movement. Police have used tear gas and pepper spray to quell the disruptions.
Several weeks into the movement, government officials in China and Hong Kong say the protests will not change the 2017 elections. But McGrath says protestors appear determined to maintain the fight and, and don’t plan to leave.
“From my experience there, everyone is still very positive, happy and helpful and believe very strongly in what they are fighting for,” he says. “I think they are well aware of the realities of their demands and how difficult it is to achieve, yet still they are full of hope and prepared to keep it going as long as it takes.”
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