Lawmakers in the territory voted down the central government's plan to present a hand-picked slate of candidates for a vote on Hong Kong's next leader. But China says it will go ahead anyway.
Although turnout was far short of what activists had hoped for, demonstration leaders have promised nightly vigils to push for direct elections for the territory's next chief executive.
The approximately 8,000 rolls, with images of the territory's unpopular Beijing-appointed chief executive, were confiscated from a factory on the mainland.
Organizers say 13,000 showed up for the rally, far fewer than had joined previous protests against China's insistence on hand-picking candidates for the territory's next chief executive.
Following months of acts of civil disobedience to demand democratic reforms, police have rousted the final bastion of what's come to be known as the Umbrella Revolution.
After two months of demonstrations, police said they would clear a camp near the government offices in the Central business district. Students planned one last sit-in.
Reneging on a weeks-long understanding with the government, students tried to storm the chief executive's headquarters. Police were able to push back protesters.
The student-led demonstrations calling for greater freedom in the Chinese territory have been going on for more than two months with no sign of compromise from Beijing.