Thousands of Hong Kong protesters defied government demands and continued to rally for democratic elections on Monday.

The protesters are rallying for fair democratic elections after Beijing announced last month a plan to limit 2017 elections for Hong Kong's leader, reports Reuters. However, under China's current legislation, candidates must undergo a vetting process by a Beijing-friendly committee before they are allowed to enter the race.

Tensions between those fighting for democracy and government officials escalated when thousands of demonstrators flooded city streets and surrounded the government headquarters on Sunday. In return, riot police used tear gas, pepper spray and batons to force protesters to disperse. However, that seemed to entice even more people to march during Monday's protest.

One woman said she decided to join the pro-democracy movement after seeing police use excessive force on peaceful protesters.

"This morning I was happy to see that they stayed and insisted on continuing the protest," said Cindy Sun, 30, who used her lunch break to rally with protesters in the Admiralty district, according to the New York Times.

"What they were doing was not appropriate, especially the tear gas. The students were completely peaceful," she added.

Yu Chi Kwong, a 49-year-old cab driver agreed, saying, "It's very sad that police used tear gas. They are not armed, they are peaceful students, and this only makes more people join the protests," reports USA Today.

"We are controlled by mainland China, so it doesn't matter how we choose our leader," added the father of three.

Chinese authorities have condemned the protests, which are being organized by a student-run civil disobedience group known as "Occupy Central."

Leung Chun-ying, the city's top leader, slammed the demonstrations as "unlawful occupation actions by Occupy Central" and called for "the various sectors of the community to engage in rational discussions through peaceful and lawful means."

However, Occupy Central issued a statement Monday demanding Leung to resign and stating that his "non-response to the people's demands has driven Hong Kong into a crisis of disorder."

Officials also placed a ban on Instagram and Twitter-like social media website called Weibo on the mainland, reports Slate.

Government officials in Hong Kong also canceled the city's annual fireworks show to mark China's National Day on Wednesday.