Many older activists were educated at missionary schools, which informs their sense of social and political justice. It's sure to be noticed by Beijing, which sees religion as a threat to its rule.
The Chinese territory's chief secretary, Carrie Lam, says a call from pro-democracy forces to step up protests if concessions aren't made has undermined the dialogue.
The key demand of the recent protesters in Hong Kong has been democracy. But behind that desire is anger about jobs, high housing prices, and competition — and a culture clash — with mainland Chinese.
The pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong largely have been peaceful, but many mainland Chinese see the demonstrators as spoiled troublemakers who are asking for too much, too soon.
The government had warned that it wanted streets opened by Monday, but police didn't confront most occupiers. The protesters made room for commuters to enter government offices and return to work.
Discussions between the protesters and the government broke down after the violence. With thousands of protesters still in the streets, some are fearing that a crackdown might be imminent.