Messages of support for pro-democracy demonstrations are seen on a wall near the government headquarters in Hong Kong October 8, 2014. Reuters photographers Carlos Barria and Bobby Yip photographed protestors and details of life on the barricades, asking demonstrators what their role was in the movement, and what they wanted to happen. These two elements combine to form a portrait of the protests. Student protesters galvanized Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement with their energy, bringing tens of thousands of people on to the streets in a show of defiance against Beijing. As events of the last 12 days prove, however, sustaining momentum is difficult, and whatever success protesters had in pressuring the government by disrupting city life, they will always come up against a formidable foe – mainland China. Protest numbers have dwindled markedly to a few hundred people at times, and the focus for pro-democracy activists has switched to talks scheduled for Friday with key officials in the Hong Kong administration. Picture taken October 8, 2014. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
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