Police and protesters were at fault during clashes in Admiralty

I am a Form Five student and have observed the wave of civil disobedience in Hong Kong.

The presence of so many students outside the government headquarters at Admiralty has prompted a debate about whether, as minors, they should be taking part in these kinds of social movements. Are they old enough and mature enough to make the decision to participate? In this debate, the spotlight has also fallen on the role of parents' groups, teachers' unions and student leaders.

We saw youngsters trying to break the police cordon on Sunday and get into the government headquarters.

I think such acts are reckless and it was regrettable that they chose to act in this way. Putting aside the fact that such actions are illegal, they were making a tactical error. Trying to break a police cordon and rush into Civic Square is not consistent with a non-violent protest. Such actions are illogical and a display of intolerance.

They apparently didn't consider the consequences thoroughly enough before charging the cordon.

Young people who are arrested, charged and convicted of offences could damage their future careers. Trying to occupy Civic Square in this way set a bad example that others might be tempted to follow, with the risk that protests could become more aggressive.

This can lead to public opinion and political sentiments becoming even more polarised. There are still many citizens who are not involved directly, but are keenly watching developments.