Two student leaders of Hong Kong protests were arrested early today as police continued clearing the barricades of pro-democracy demonstrators, social media and news reports said.

Joshua Wong, leader of the group Scholarism, and Lester Shum of the Hong Kong Federation of Students were among those led away by police, according to the groups’ Facebook pages and the South China Morning Post.

Also detained were Jason Szeto, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s student union, and Raphael Wong of the League of Social Democrats, according to Scholarism.

“They’ve taken away the brain so there can be no counter moves,” said Dean Shing, a 22-year-old student at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Protesters clashed with police overnight and 116 people were arrested as of 6am. The charges included assaulting or obstructing police officers, unlawful assembly and obstructing the court order to clear the protest sites.

The student federation today criticised the “violent” police enforcement of the order.

“The road of communication has ended,” it said. “We will need to take the next step of action.”

Protesters have been blocking three of the city’s main thoroughfares for two months, demanding reforms ahead of the 2017 general election.

The High Court in Hong Kong ruled this month that bailiffs assisted by police could remove barricades from protest sites in Admiralty district on Hong Kong island and the commercial district of Mong Kok on the Kowloon peninsula.

The operation to clear most of the Mong Kok camp started a week after police had removed barricades at Admiralty.

Today’s clearance was swift and decisive compared to previous days, with most of the camp cleared within an hour or two by police in riot gear.

A small group of protesters remained sandwiched between police on Nathan Road in Mong Kok.

The court injunction said those arrested may be held for 48 hours.

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok urged protesters to leave the area immediately.

“I urge all those who are taking part in unlawful assembly and occupying roads to leave immediately, stop obstructing... police officers from exercising the court’s injunction, and stop charging the police’s (cordon),” Lai said.

The demonstrators are seeking the public nomination and election of the next chief executive in the former British colony.

Beijing in August said it would allow universal suffrage but retained the right to vet candidates for the top job.

- dpa