Beijing’s increasingly histrionic reaction to calls for democratic reform suggests that it is simply not interested in fulfilling its international obligations. A senior Mainland figure threatened to deploy the PLA in response to Occupy Central;[23] the referendum was condemned by Beijing as “illegal” and targeted by online attacks.[24] Despite these threats, over 500,000 people voted in the referendum’s first 29 hours.[25] Unless and until Beijing reconsiders its bellicose response to demands for democracy in Hong Kong, such confrontations are likely to continue.