The injunction was granted to a local bus company, All China Express Ltd, on December 1, on the grounds that protests are hurting its business. It allows authorities to clear three parts of the main protest camp in the Admiralty district, which houses the government headquarters. As many as 3,000 police officers are expected to participate in the clearing effort, South China Morning Post reports, citing police sources.
Protesters are to leave the area before 09:00 (01:00 GMT) on Thursday, according to BBC. "What I would like to do now is to perhaps make a public plea to the students to stay away from the scene when there is plenty of time," said Paul Tse, a lawyer for the bus company, as quoted by the Associated Press.
"You do see people moving from the court injunction area, but they are not retreating entirely," a 31-year-old protester told AFP. "I can’t speak for everyone, but people here are willing to be arrested," he stated.
Many Hong Kong residents have argued that the ongoing protests are hurting local businesses, urging activists to go home, according to polls conducted by Hong Kong University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Last month authorities cleared a major protest site in the Mong Kok district following a separate court ruling. The injunctions were granted to local transport companies.
