Occupy Central will be divided into groups in case police use tear gas, organisers reveal
Movement's organisers say the thousands it expects to protest will be broken into groups to allow for easier withdrawal if police get tough
Occupy Central organisers will divide supporters into groups instead of keeping them in a single mass so they can be withdrawn more easily if police decide to use tear gas to stop their civil disobedience action.
Group leaders will be told to evacuate protesters under their command as soon as the choking gas is used in their area, two of the movement's founders told the South China Morning Post.
"This is our bottom line," the Reverend Chu Yiu-ming said. "We will call on the group leaders to evacuate the participants once tear gas is thrown to their zones."
Chu said he and his two co-organisers were "willing to pay the price" of taking part in the sit-in. "But we also have the responsibility to ensure the safety of all participants," he said.
The veteran activist said the media, citizens and the international community would "have their own views" if police used tear gas.