Anti-occupy collects over 1.8m signatures

A week-long signature-gathering campaign has come to an end in Hong Kong, with a group opposed to the ongoing Occupy protests collecting more than 1.8-million signatures.

The results of the petition have been handed over to the Hong Kong government.

Robert Chow Yung, spokesperson for the anti-Occupy group known as the Alliance for Peace and Democracy, outlines what they are hoping to do next.

"The first we are going to arrange meetings with legislative councilors, and we will also try to arrange meetings with scholars and the Federation of Students, to try to discuss with them, having seen the Hong Kong people against their action, how would they react to such display of public opinion and how they would intend to cease their action and give peace and order back to Hong Kong."

Amid the weeks-long demonstrations, the Hong Kong High Court has granted three temporary injunctions against protesters.

However, the injunctions have been limited in scope, and have been largely been ignored.

This has prompted a few dozen lawyers to hold a silent gathering outside the High Court on Monday to express concerns that the rule of law in Hong Kong has been undermined by the Occupy protesters.

Doreen Kong Yuk Foon is one of the lawyers who took part in the symbolic protest.

"The injunctions are orders from the court, which in theory should be strictly observed when granted. However, the protesters have not abided by them. We are very worried about the situation. "

Hong Kong Police spokesperson Kong Man-keung says they have the ultimate responsibility to stop illegal activities connected to the demonstrations.

"For the overall benefits of Hong Kong, I urge the illegal road occupiers to respect the rule of law, to comply with the Court orders and to cease the illegal occupation soonest."

Even though Hong Kong's financial sector hasn't been much affected from the Occupy protests so far, a number of government officials and finance heavyweights have warned the city's reputation as one of the world's leading financial hubs could be tarnished if the protests are allowed to continue for a prolonged period of time.