More than 1000 protesters have blocked Hong Kong police headquarters into the night, while others have taken over major streets as the tumult over the city's future showed no signs of abating.
The latest protest came after a deadline passed the previous day for the government to meet demands over highly unpopular extradition bills that many see as eroding the territory's judicial independence.
Police called for the demonstrators to disperse but did not immediately take firm action to remove them.
While the protest began peacefully, the presence again of demonstrators on busy Harcourt Road and in the lobby of the Revenue Tower raised the possibility of violent confrontations.
Police seemed reluctant to use force on Friday even as the protesters shut down roads in the centre of Hong Kong.
While anger seemed to be turning away from civil authorities and toward the police, the mostly black-clad protesters continued to try to shut down the entire government complex, as they have tried off-and-on for the past two weeks.
During the afternoon, some sought to build barriers on Connaught Road, the main thoroughfare in the area known as Admiralty, building barriers of stones, pylons and other materials at hand, at one time temporarily blocking in a police van.
Around the police headquarters, masked and helmeted protesters covered surveillance cameras with masking tape and lashed barriers together with nylon cable ties.
Protest leaders have said they are determined to keep up the pressure on Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, who has shelved but not abandoned the extradition legislation.
She has insisted the bills are needed to uphold justice, but critics see them as part of a campaign by Beijing to diminish Hong Kong's democratic institutions.
Government offices were ordered closed Friday "due to security considerations," and hearings at the Legislative Council were suspended.
Australian Associated Press
