The talk of peace and love is hypocritical. The occupation of public places and denial of access to legitimate users of roads and infrastructure are blatant acts of force.

Barricades are a force of exclusion and not peace. For the students to deliberately bring about financial losses and deny citizens their livelihood, purely to satisfy a fantasy, is certainly not love. What ultimately makes their campaign so cynical is their cry of "pro-democracy".

The essence of democracy is rule of law. the protesters' actions are illegal and therefore they are contemptuous of the law of their own city. They are actually anti-democracy. They have no moral basis for their actions.

After getting permission from my parents, after school, I went with my friends to join the mass sit-in in Admiralty on September 30.

I have always believed that the Occupy Central campaign is peaceful and the arguments the protesters have put forward are rational.

However, the government went against those peaceful intentions when it allowed police to use pepper spray and tear gas. Thanks to these actions, the situation deteriorated. That was why I felt the need to show my support for those people who are fighting for democracy and to uphold justice.

I was amazed to find that the atmosphere when I was there was so peaceful. My friends and I helped to distribute some necessities to the protesters. We gave out water and energy drinks. We had been apprehensive but soon felt at ease.

We spoke to a foreign journalist and this made us aware that what is happening has attracted international attention. I hope that, through these reports, people abroad realise what the protesters are doing for democracy and for future generations.

If anyone has stepped over the line, it is the government and this is what has triggered the discontent of people. Although I may not be able to engage in the campaign again, I will continue to support the protesters.

Ivan Wong, Sha Tin

The use of the chemical compounds, including 2-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS), commonly known as tear gas, as a riot control agent has attracted complaints from those subject to their use.

There is plenty of scientific and anecdotal literature about the short-term and long-term health effects. Among the studies done, two deserve our attention.

In April 2003, the published a study on the use of tear gas by the police on 34 adults trapped in a coach. Police claimed the tear gas was used intermittently for no more than three minutes and the group was out in the fresh air in 10 minutes. The study concluded that, "in this incident when CS was used by the police, the spray caused no long-term physical sequelae".

An article on the long-term health effects of tear gases on the respiratory system was published in in July of this year, after studying 93 cases of use of tear gas in various countries and cities. The study concluded that "Additional efforts are necessary for searching the hazardous effects of tear gases to be able to forbid the use of tear gases as for controlling the protest actions."

It should also be noted that the use of tear gas in warfare has been banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1997, but due to US lobbying, its use for domestic law enforcement purposes has been explicitly allowed.

Although controversial, tear gas continues to be used by large numbers of law-enforcement agencies around the world as an alternative to more injurious use of force.

Regina Ip, legislative councillor

Some of Hong Kong's streets have resembled a battlefield, with protesters continuing with their campaign for universal suffrage.

Many of us share their dream of democracy for all.

I am proud, as a Hongkonger, that so many people are willing to stand up and fight for the future of this city. Even though they know occupying these areas is unlawful, and they risk inclement weather and pepper spray and tear gas, they will not retreat.

In some countries, large-scale protests like this one usually lead to damage to property, such as shops being set alight. This has not happened with Hong Kong's civil disobedience movement, with citizens cooperating with each other and showing self-discipline.

However, it is time to restore social order. Retail sales have fallen over the past three weeks, including over the week of the national holiday. Even brand-name stores have suffered, but I am particularly concerned about small and medium-sized enterprises. Many of them were already struggling to pay high monthly rents.

The protests have made their cash situation even tighter. If the movement continues, some of these SMEs will go out of business.

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has made it clear he will not resign and there is no one-step approach to universal suffrage. Instead of paralysing Hong Kong's economy and affecting other citizens' daily lives, the activists should accept the current electoral formula for the 2017 chief executive election and negotiate for future developments.

In this way, we can take a step closer to universal suffrage.

Some senior academics and religious leaders have called for the students to retreat from the streets.

I can understand this point of view. These youngsters represent Hong Kong's future. There is nothing wrong with participating in social campaigns, but they should not sacrifice their career prospects.

They must equip themselves with the skills needed to become responsible citizens in the future.

I believe they have already achieved a victory.

They may not get real democracy now, but they have won respect for their ideals and their aspiration to achieve real democracy. They are future pillars of Hong Kong society.

They should make good use of their experiences and what they have learned from these protests and now resume their studies.