A view from Yau Ma Tei area in Kowloon district as anti government protests continue and police officers intervene in protestors, on November 18, 2019 in Hong Kong, China. Getty

Hundreds of protesters surrendered to police after a days-long siege of the Polytechnic University in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced in a press conference on Tuesday that 600 people left the university campus — 400 of whom were arrested and 200 of whom were let go for being under 18.

The seige had become the latest flashpoint in a months-long running battle between Hong Kong authorities, backed by China, and vast numbers of protesters.

The campus stand-off saw police blockade the protesters in, and use tear gas on those inside. Protesters threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at officers.

The mass surrender represented a victory for authorities, who have emphasized their desire to prosecute those involved.

A hard core of around 100 people, who refused to surrender, remained at the university.

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Hundreds of protesters in Hong Kong surrendered to police on Tuesday following a days-long siege at the Polytechnic University which had become the city’s latest flashpoint.

Around 600 people gave themselves up at the campus in Hung Hom, which had become a battleground for pro-democracy protesters against the police over the weekend,

The surrenders were announced by Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam in a press conference on Tuesday. She said 400 of the 600 were arrested, and the other 200 were let go because they are under 18.

A further hard core of 100 protesters remain at the campus, she said.

hong kong protests AP Photo/Vincent Yu

„If they can leave the campus in a peaceful way, the police will not use violence,“ Lam said. Authorities have been clear in their desire to prosecute those

Many people attempted to escape the university campus earlier in the stand-off, using inventive methods in an attempt to avoid arrest.

On Monday night, a group of people trapped in the university abseiled down a footbridge down to getaway vehicles, according to the South China Morning Post.

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Over the weekend a violent stand-off between protesters and the police took place, as police fired tear gas and water cannons filled with a dye that irritates the skin at the protesters, according to an earlier report from Business Insider.

The protesters gathered makeshift weapons such as javelins and bows and arrows, thought to have been taken from the athletic department of the university.

On Monday the police threatened to use live rounds if protesters did not „stop assaulting the police using cars, gas bombs and bows and arrows,“ according to an earlier report from Business Insider.

Demonstrations in the semi-autonomous Chinese city erupted in June over a proposed extradition bill, but have since evolved to include demands for greater democratic freedoms.