As the protest movement entered its seventh night, tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents gathered for a peace rally in the commercial Admiralty district near the government headquarters chanting "Peace! Anti-violence!" and singing democracy anthems.
But across the harbor in the city's Mong Kok district, tensions flared anew early on Sunday as crowds of protesters surrounded police, accusing them of cooperating with gangsters, according to AFP reporters at the scene.
Police responded with pepper spray.
For their part, student leaders said on Sunday that they would meet the government if certain conditions were met, having cancelled planned negotiations the previous day over anger at police actions in earlier clashes.
In a speech broadcast earlier on television, Leung Chun-ying, Hong Kong's chief executive, said he was determined to clear the streets of protesters by Monday when the city returns to work.
"The government and the police have the duty and determination to take all necessary actions to restore social order so that the government and some seven million people of Hong Kong can return to their normal work and life," he said.
Protesters have taken to Hong Kong's streets all week to demand the right to nominate who can run as their next leader in 2017 elections.