Tens of thousands of activists have been demonstrating against China's decision to only allow vetted candidates to run for elections on the island in 2017. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will meet the Chinese ambassador later this week to make clear his ‘dismay and alarm’ at how authorities have handled the demonstrations. He said, ‘It is essential that the people of Hong Kong have a genuine choice of chief executive in 2017 through universal suffrage.’ The unrest began after it was ruled that in three years' time, Hong Kong residents must choose their leader, or chief executive, from candidates picked by Beijing who must declare their ‘love’ for China and its Communist system. The island's chief executive Leung Chun-Ying has called on protest leaders to ‘immediately’ withdraw from the streets. Student leaders threaten to take over government buildings if the region's leader does not resign by Thursday. See also: l