Hong Kong police have arrested two student leaders of the protests, which began in the region in September.
Occupy Central supporters refuse to budge despite repeated attempts to remove them but police obtained a court order allowing them to clear swathes of tents and barricades.
Eighty court bailiffs were also appointed to help clear the area.
Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong have retaken an area in Mong Kok following hours of clashes with police.
Police were forced to pull back after encountering thousands of protesters, who are angry at China's plans to screen candidates for elections in 2017.
Eighteen people were injured in the scuffles, with witnesses claiming that police used batons and pepper spray in a bid to defend the area.
The clashes come just hours after Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying offered talks with student leaders next week in an attempt to defuse the protests, which have raged on for three weeks.
The superhero appeared to join pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong which have been going on for over a month.
A Hong Kong resident says the Occupy Central protests, now in their third week, show another side to a city known for its "cold efficiency".
Despite clashes on the streets a university student used a brief moment of quiet to ask his girlfriend to marry him and she said 'yes'.