Thirty years ago Wu'er Kaixi helped organise pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square. Now he is watching protests in Hong Kong and waiting for a government crackdown to silence protesters.

Key points: Wu'er Kaixi fears the Hong Kong protests will escalate further

Wu'er Kaixi fears the Hong Kong protests will escalate further Recent images show a build-up of Chinese troops at the border with Hong Kong

Recent images show a build-up of Chinese troops at the border with Hong Kong Mr Wu'er says the formally conservative city is now made up of 'seven million democracy activists'

For his role organising the Tiananmen protests he ended up number two on China's 1989 most wanted list and now lives in exile in Taiwan.

"I was one of the founders of the student movement, commonly known as the Tiananmen student movement, which ended when the Chinese mobilised standing troops to come into the city and massacred peaceful protesters," he said.

Mr Wu'er said the situation in Hong Kong was a very familiar story. He said if he was not banned from travelling to the city, he would be there.

The Tiananmen Square protests lasted for six weeks. ( Supplied: Jeff Widener )

"The central government do not want to give its people freedom," he said.

"It's an identical part [of the two events], it's the same enemy of the people that links the two demonstrations; one in Beijing 30 years ago and one in Hong Kong going on today."

He fears the response to the protests unfolding in Hong Kong will be the same as the response in Tiananmen 30 years ago.

"Unfortunately, the enemy that we're facing do not know any tricks when confronted by people with determination," he said.

"Thirty years ago they deployed troops and I'm afraid this time they're thinking of doing the same."

Clashes between police and protesters an almost daily occurrence

Protests have been rolling through Hong Kong, spreading from the centre of the city into the suburbs, for over two months.

They started as a response to a controversial extradition bill, which could have seen Hong Kong residents taken to China to face trial.

Hong Kong police have been criticised for the tactics used against protesters. ( AP via HK01: Jeff Cheng )

The Hong Kong Government withdrew the bill in July, with leader Carrie Lam admitting even she was not in support of it.

"I have almost immediately put a stop to the amendment exercise, but there are still lingering doubts about the government's sincerity or worries [about] whether the government will restart the process in the Legislative Council," she said.

"So I reiterate here, there is no such plan. The bill is dead."

The withdrawal has not satisfied protesters though, who are fearful the central government in Beijing will keep trying to exert more power in Hong Kong.

They say they are fighting against the erosion of the "one country, two systems' arrangement which gives Hong Kong some autonomy from China.

Clashes between police and protesters have become an almost daily occurrence and this week an occupation of the city's airport shut it down for days.

The protest movement managed to occupy and shut down Hong Kong airport. ( AP: Kin Cheung )

The organisation and tactics of protesters in Hong Kong have impressed Mr Wu'er.

"The Hongkongers this time have developed this very clever tactic that it is a leaderless organisation, unlike in 1989 when we needed a student organisation, we needed a negotiator," he said.

"We were willing even to compromise back in 1989, if the government would give us something.

"But 30 years later, I think Hongkongers know one thing: the matter of freedom there has no room for compromise."

Recently, the central government in Beijing said protests were beginning to show "sprouts of terrorism" and satellite photos have found what appears to be a build-up of Chinese military vehicles near the border with Hong Kong.

The pictures, released by Maxar Technologies, appear show more than a 100 troop carriers and other vehicles inside a sports centre in Shenzhen, the closest mainland Chinese city to Hong Kong.

The satellite image appears to show Chinese security force vehicles inside the Shenzen Bay Sports Centre. ( Maxar Technologies via AP )

Police have fended off attacks by protesters and the protestors have allegedly been assaulted by gang members paid to rough them up, but Mr Wu'er fears the situation could escalate.

"Perhaps they realise the brutal clubbing by the police is not enough, not sufficient to scare the Hong Kong people off, so they probably will escalate that into a new level I'm afraid," he said.

"I am extremely afraid there will be human life lost."

'A city of seven million democracy activists'

While Hongkongers supported protesters in Tiananmen in 1989 with mass vigils held in solidarity, Mr Wu'er said the people of Hong Kong had been comfortable with the status quo in their own city.

"Hong Kong, a city of six to seven million people, has always been a business driven society and the people were business minded, meaning conservative and a little bit scared all the time," he said.

"They wanted to maintain peace, stability and order.

"This time I think I have seen through the two months, with more than 60 days of demonstrations, the faces of Hongkongers have transformed. "They want their freedom more than their stability.

"They have transformed, this business-minded, conservative, oriental society is now a city of seven million democracy activists."

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He now feels this movement has grown to a point where conflict is inevitable.

"Any movement that has come to this scale has already developed it's own character and it's own spirit," he said.

"I think it will come to the showdown moment."

The Chinese government's goal if it comes to a showdown, according to Mr Wu'er, would be to scare the people to the point where they are afraid to protest.

"Beijing would probably think that a crackdown would instil enough fear in the society," he said.

"They did it in 1989 and they're confident if they do it again it will have the same effect, I think that's the mentality of Beijing that worries me."