HONG KONG - A Hong Kong judge gave a dwindling band of Occupy Hong Kong protesters two weeks to vacate the space below 's Asian headquarters, accepting a petition by the bank.
About a dozen protesters still use a collection of tents erected in an area that is owned by HSBC but is designated as a public passageway. If the protesters have not left by the deadline, 9 p.m. Aug. 27, the next step would be for a court bailiff to decide what, if any, action to take.
Any legal appeals along the way could further delay the departure or removal of the protesters.
The site under the HSBC building had been used by local domestic workers to take refuge from the heat on Sundays, when many of them have their weekly day off.
Occupy encampments in some other places, like London and New York, were removed months ago, but the authorities in Hong Kong have been wary of seeming insensitive at a time of considerable public concern about wealth inequality.
Members have vowed not to budge.
“We've never asked for permission from the law, we've never asked for permission from the courts, we've never asked for permission from HSBC,†Nin Chan, one of the Occupy activists, told The Associated Press. “From the very beginning, we've never recognized these authorities as legitimate.â€
According to the wire service, Occupy activists have been living under the bank's headquarters since Oct. 15, when protesters in Hong Kong joined others around the world in a day of demonstrations against corporate excess and economic inequality.
“We welcome the court ruling, and we look forward to the occupiers following the court order,†Gareth Hewett, an HSBC spokesman, told The Associated Press.
HSBC named four defendants in its lawsuit. One was the “occupiers of the ground floor†of its building, and three others were people Occupy activists said were loosely related to their movement.
Mui Kai-ming, one of the latter three, said he would “absolutely†not leave, according to The A.P.
