Tens of thousands of people, mainly students, have brought central Hong Kong to a standstill, blocking roads and forcing the closure of banks and schools, in a major pushback against Beijing's decision to limit democratic reforms.Police responded with an unprecedented level of force, firing tear gas into crowds leaving protesters choking under thick clouds of toxic vapour.Protesters in turn countered with the 'hands up, don't shoot' gesture first employed last month by demonstrators in Ferguson, Missouri, as they marched over the police shooting of unarmed black teenager Mike Brown. There, the gesture became a symbol of the fight against racism and police violence in America.And this morning, the Chinese government announced that riot police had been taken off the streets as citizens 'have mostly calmed down' and urged people to unblock roads and disperse.Instead, the government switched its focus to social media, banning Instagram across the country in a further bid to stifle dissent in the Asian financial hub.The popular photo-sharing service was shut down today in an apparent attempt to prevent demonstrators sharing photographs of the upheaval with their countrymen, as they expanded their rallies throughout Hong Kong.Many photos already posted on the image-sharing website - labelled under the hashtag #OccupyCentral, a phrase officials went on to block from Weibo, China's version of Twitter.(dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.Az