Hong Kong democracy battle escalates as pro-Beijing group holds mass rally against Occupy plan
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Tens of thousands of people have joined a Hong Kong protest march to oppose a planned civil disobedience campaign by pro-democracy activists.
Demonstrators braved wilting heat to take part in Sunday's rally, which was organized by a pro-Beijing group. Many carried banners or shouted slogans saying they were opposed to the Occupy Central pro-democracy movement.
The movement's organizers have sparked political turmoil with their plan to press demands for genuine democracy by shutting down the southern Chinese financial hub's central business district.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Beijing has promised that voters can pick Hong Kong's leader starting in 2017. But it insists candidates be vetted by an elite committee of loyalists, which democracy activists reject.