Shum, who was arrested for storming Civic Square at the Tamar government headquarters on September 26, said he did not agree to the conditions that were being set for bail.

He believes the decision not to hold him after he spent an hour at Central Police Station yesterday was reached because of political considerations.

Before he went to the police station Shum said he was prepared to carry any legal responsibilities for being involved in civil disobedience action.

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He went on to say Occupy participants continued the fight for civil nominations, universal suffrage and the abolition of functional constituencies.

And the federation and Scholarism are not ready to retreat.

On Occupy Central initiators Benny Tai Yiu-ting and Chan Kin-man resuming teaching at their respective universities yesterday, Shum said the two would still be joining the action and that their decisions to return to work would not affect the movement.

In another development yesterday, seven police officers and firefighters went to the Mong Kok protest zone to express concerns about the potential danger of barricades when personnel responded to emergencies such as a fire and people's lives were perhaps threatened.

A divisional commander in the Fire Services Department, Cheng Sui-on, said: "We're trying to advise the protesters to avoid unnecessary conflicts, but we'll not set any timetables for forced removals of barricades."

But the barricades are large and flammable, he added, and while the situation has improved there are dangers. HILARY WONG