- NEW: Scuffles as people opposing occuption try to remove protest barricades
- Democracy campaigners have been blocking key routes through the city
- C.Y. Leung: Protests a "mass movement that has spun out of control"
- Students write open letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping
Hong Kong (CNN) -- Rowdy scenes erupted at the main Occupy Central protest site in Hong Kong on Monday after hundreds of people opposing the pro-democracy occupation tried to tear down protest barricades.
Police formed a human chain to separate the protesters and people intent on breaking up their three-week long occupation of the Admiralty district, near the city's financial center.
Dozens of men, some wearing surgical masks, were seen jostling with protesters and demanding that police remove the barricades and clear the roads, according to live images from local television station iCable.
They were heard screaming at protesters, accusing them of damaging their livelihoods. The television commentator identified them as taxi drivers, transport industry workers and other people who said they weren't affiliated with any groups.
However, protesters could be heard yelling, "there are triads here," a reference to criminal gangs in the city known for controlling smuggling, prostitution and illegal gambling rings.
Police on loudspeakers called for calm, and eventually convinced protesters to form a corridor to allow their opponents to leave.
Earlier, police started to remove barricades from protest sites in Admiralty and Mong Kok, but issued a statement saying they were moving "obstacles" to relieve traffic "not to clear the scene."
Police separate pro-democracy campaigners from a group people intent on ending their occupation of the Admiralty site, near Hong Kong's financial district on Monday, October 13. 
The anti-Occupy campaigners were trying to pull down barricades. They were heard shouting at the protesters that they were damaging their livelihoods, October 13. 
Taxi drivers protest in Hong Kong on October 13, urging pro-democracy campaigners to clear the roads. 
Earlier on Monday, Hong Kong begin removing barricades from roads in the city's Admiralty district. They issued a statement saying "obstacles" were removed to relieve traffic "not to clear the scene." 
Protesters responded by reinforcing barricades at the Admiralty protest site, October 13. 
Some of the remaining pro-democracy demonstrators sit in front of police lines in Hong Kong's Admiralty district Monday. 
People gather beneath the statue "Umbrella Man," by the Hong Kong artist known as Milk, which has become a symbol at the protest site, on Saturday, October 11, in Hong Kong. Demonstrators are angry about China's decision to allow only Beijing-vetted candidates to run in the city's elections for chief executive in 2017. 
Pro-democracy protesters remain scattered at the protest site in Admiralty on Thursday, October 9. The government canceled talks that day after protest leaders urged supporters to keep up the occupation. 
Taxi drivers attend a small demonstration calling for protesters to stop blocking roads through the city on October 9. 
A woman drinks a soda as she walks past a barricade erected by pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong on October 9. 
A pro-democracy protester sleeps on a street in the occupied area surrounding the government complex in Hong Kong on Wednesday, October 8. 
A pro-democracy protester reads a newspaper in Hong Kong's Mong Kok district on Tuesday, October 7, as a police officer stands nearby. 
Protesters walk up an empty street inside the protest site near Hong Kong's government complex on October 7. 
Joshua Wong, a 17-year-old student protest leader, is interviewed at the protest site near government headquarters on Monday, October 6. 
A man walks to work as pro-democracy demonstrators sleep on the road in the occupied areas surrounding the government complex in Hong Kong on October 6. 
A ray of sunlight bathes sleeping protesters as they occupy a major highway in Hong Kong on October 6. Protesters say Beijing has gone back on its pledge to allow universal suffrage in Hong Kong, which was promised "a high degree of autonomy" when it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997. 
People take an escalator to work as protesters sleep on October 6. 
The statue "Umbrella Man," by the Hong Kong artist known as Milk, stands at a pro-democracy protest site in the Admiralty district on October 6. 
People walk to work on a main road in the occupied areas of Hong Kong on October 6. 
Police officers remove barriers outside government offices in Hong Kong on Sunday, October 5. 
Student protesters carry a barrier to block a street leading to the protest site on October 5. 
Pro-democracy demonstrators occupy the streets near government headquarters on October 5. 
Pro-democracy demonstrators surround police October 5 in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong. 
A pro-democracy protester holds on to a barrier as he and others defend a barricade from attacks by rival protest groups in the Mong Kok district on Saturday, October 4. 
Pro-democracy student protesters pin a man to the ground after an assault during a scuffle with local residents in Mong Kok on October 4. 
Pro-democracy protesters raise their arms in a sign of nonviolence as they protect a barricade from rival protest groups in the Mong Kok district on October 4. 
A pro-Beijing activist holds up blue ribbons for anti-Occupy Central protestors to collect as pro-government speeches are made in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong on October 4. 
A man sits in front of a barricade built by pro-democracy protesters on October 4 in the Kowloon district. 
Thousands of pro-democracy activists attend a rally on the streets near government headquarters on October 4 in Hong Kong. 
A group of men in masks fight with a man who tried to stop them from removing barricades from a pro-democracy protest area in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong on Friday, October 3. 
Police raise hands against protesters as an ambulance tries to leave the compound of the chief executive office in Hong Kong on October 3. 
A protester tries to negotiate with angry residents trying to remove barricades blocking streets in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay on October 3. Large crowds opposed to the pro-democracy movement gathered to clear the area. 
Pro-democracy demonstrators protect a barricade from "anti-Occupy" crowds in Hong Kong on October 3. 
A man shouts at a pro-democracy demonstrator on October 3. 
Police try to pry a man from a fence guarded by pro-democracy demonstrators on October 3. 
Pro-democracy demonstrators sleep on the street outside a government complex in Hong Kong on Thursday, October 2. 
As the sun rises, a protester reads during a sit-in blocking the entrance to the chief executive's office on October 2. 
Yellow ribbons, a symbol of the protests in Hong Kong, are tied to a fence as police and security officers stand guard at the government headquarters on October 2. 
Protesters confront police outside the government complex in Hong Kong on October 2. 
Protesters camp out in a street in Hong Kong on Wednesday, October 1. 
Founder of the student pro-democracy group Scholarism, Joshua Wong, center, stands in silent protest with supporters at the flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong on October 1. 
Hong Kong's Chief Executive C.Y. Leung attends a flag raising ceremony to mark the 65th anniversary of the founding of Communist China on October 1. 
A pro-democracy activist shouts slogans on a street near the government headquarters on Wednesday, October 1. 
Hong Kong police stand guard outside the flag-raising ceremony October 1. 
Pro-democracy demonstrators gather for a third night in Hong Kong on Tuesday, September 30. 
Protesters sing songs and wave their cell phones in the air after a massive thunderstorm passed over the Hong Kong Government Complex on September 30. 
Protesters take part in a rally on a street outside the Hong Kong Government Complex on September 30. 
Student activists rest on a road in Hong Kong on September 30, near the government headquarters where pro-democracy activists have gathered. 
A pro-democracy demonstrator guards a bus covered with messages of support in Hong Kong on September 30. 
Protesters sleep on the streets outside the Hong Kong Government Complex at sunrise on September 30. 
Protesters hold up their cell phones in a display of solidarity during a protest outside the Legislative Council headquarters in Hong Kong on Monday, September 29. 
Protesters put on goggles and wrap themselves in plastic on September 29 after hearing a rumor that police were coming with tear gas. 
Police officers stand off with protesters next to the Hong Kong police headquarters on September 29. 
A man helps protesters use a makeshift ladder to climb over concrete street barricades on September 29. 
Riot police fire tear gas on student protesters occupying streets around government buildings in Hong Kong on September 29. 
Police officers rest after protests on September 29. 
Pro-democracy protesters argue with a man, left, who opposes the occupation of Nathan Road in Hong Kong on September 29. 
Pro-democracy protesters sit in a road as they face off with local police on September 29. 
Pro-democracy protesters rest around empty buses as they block Nathan Road in Hong Kong on September 29. Multiple bus routes have been suspended or diverted. 
Police walk down a stairwell as demonstrators gather outside government buildings in Hong Kong on September 29. 
Stacks of umbrellas are ready for protesters to use as shields against pepper spray on September 29. 
Protesters turn the Chinese flag upside-down on September 29 outside a commercial building near the main Occupy Central protest area in Hong Kong. 
Protesters occupy a main road in the Central district of Hong Kong after riot police used tear gas against them on Sunday, September 28. 
Demonstrators disperse as tear gas is fired during a protest on September 28. There is an "optimal amount of police officers dispersed" around the scene, a Hong Kong police representative said. 
Police use pepper spray and tear gas against demonstrators September 28. The protests, which have seen thousands of students in their teens and 20s take to the streets, swelled in size over the weekend. 
Riot police clash with protesters on September 28. 
Police and protesters clash during a tense standoff with thousands of student demonstrators, recently joined by the like-minded Occupy Central movement, on September 28. 
Benny Tai, center, founder of the Occupy Central movement, raises a fist after announcing the group would join the students during a demonstration outside government headquarters in Hong Kong on September 28. 
Pro-democracy activist and former legislator Martin Lee wears goggles and a mask to protect against pepper spray on September 28. 
A pro-democracy activist shouts at police officers behind a fence with yellow ribbons on September 28. 
A sign for the Hong Kong central government offices has been crossed out with red tape by democracy activists on September 28. 
Pro-democracy protesters gather near government headquarters on September 29. 
Protesters gather during a demonstration outside the headquarters of the Legislative Counsel on September 28 as calls for Beijing to grant the city universal suffrage grow louder and more fractious. 
Protesters tie up barricades on September 28 during a demonstration outside the headquarters of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong. 
An injured protester is tended to after clashing with riot police outside Hong Kong government complex on Saturday, September 27. 
Riot police use pepper spray on pro-democracy activists who forced their way into the Hong Kong government headquarters during a demonstration on September 27. 
People watch from on high as pro-democracy demonstrators are surrounded by police after storming a courtyard outside Hong Kong's legislative headquarters on Friday, September 26. 
Students march to Government House in Hong Kong on Thursday, September 25. Photos: Hong Kong unrest 
HK leader faces pressure for payments 
Beijing using 'anaconda' strategy in HK Hong Kongers grow weary of sit-ins Police "pushed back a couple of barricades, dismantling them," said CNN's Ivan Watson, from the Admiralty protest site. He said the protesters had responded by moving their tents closer to the barrier but the streets had remained peaceful.
READ: Who is C.Y. Leung?
Protest disruption
At the peak of the protests, which started in late September, tens of thousands of demonstrators crowded onto the streets demanding a greater say in how the city is run.
Protesters have been guarding barricades erected at the protest sites, and for many nights slept in the open air on bitumen before the arrival of reinforcements with tents on the weekend.
Traffic in the other parts of the city has been clogged due to road closures, bus and tram cancellations and the need for cars to drive around the protest sites. Taxi drivers say their takings are down, and businesses have claimed the protests have cost them income.
While protest numbers dwindled towards the end of last week, they started building again over the weekend when protest leaders called for reinforcements after the government called off talks planned for Friday.
First live address
Over the weekend, Hong Kong Chief Executive C.Y. Leung made his first live address since protesters blocked key routes through the city. Speaking on local free-to-air station TVB, Leung said the protests were not a "revolution," but a "mass movement that has spun out of control."
He said student leaders had "almost zero chance" of pushing Beijing to chance its stance on how Hong Kong's leader is elected. He added he would not accede to the protesters' demands that he resign, because his resignation "will not solve the problem."
"It is because the students and other occupation protesters demand more than that. They want the Standing Committee to withdraw its August 31 decision. That is impossible," he said.
READ: Who's who in the protests?
Beijing white paper
He was referring to the white paper issued by the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress stating that Hongkongers would be able to vote on their leader in 2017, but only from an approved shortlist of candidates.
In response to Leung's comments, the three main groups leading the occupy campaign said it was the government that was out of control -- "a government that fires tear-gas at unarmed citizens and unilaterally terminated dialogue with the students (sic)."
On September 28, police fired 87 tear gas rounds into the crowd after protesters failed to disperse. The move was seen as a miscalculation and only served to garner support for the protesters who accused the government of heavy handedness and of stifling free speech.
READ: The end of police trust?
Open letter to China
Over the weekend, student leaders from protest group Scholarism and the Hong Kong Federation of Students wrote an open letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, urging him to closely consider their cause.
"There will only be more citizens, disillusioned with our corrupted institutions, marching and protesting, as long as no genuine democracy is practiced in this place," they wrote.
The letter said the occupation was "definitely not a colour revolution or its alike, but rather a movement for democracy," referring to the term "umbrella revolution" which was coined after protesters used umbrellas to shield themselves from pepper spray and tear gas.
View from China
Xi has not commented on the protests, but Chinese censors have been busy blocking reports of the movement, including access to the photo-sharing site Instagram.
A commentary published in China's state-controlled People's Daily on Monday, entitled "Why is the U.S. so keen on Color Revolutions?", accused the U.S. of meddling in Hong Kong affairs.
"It is hardly likely that the U.S. will admit to manipulating the "Occupy Central" movement, just as it will not admit to manipulating other anti-China forces. It sees such activities as justified by "democracy," "freedom," "human rights" and other values," it said.
It said the mainstream U.S. media had shown "exceptional interest" in "Occupy Central" and had tried to portray it as Hong Kong's version of a "Color Revolution," referring to pro-democracy movements around the world including the "Arab Spring" and Ukraine's "Orange Revolution."
"The U.S. may enjoy the sweet taste of interfering in other countries' internal affairs, but on the issue of Hong Kong it stands little chance of overcoming the determination of the Chinese government to maintain stability and prosperity," it added.
CNN's Wilfred Chan and Anjali Tsui contributed to this report.
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