After jarring clashes between pro-democracy protesters and opponents in Hong Kong's densely populated Mong Kok district Friday, student leaders called off talks with the government, accusing police of allowing the violence to happen.

"The path of conversation should be put aside now. The government is not honoring its promise and it should be held accountable first," the Hong Kong Federation of Students said in a statement.

Pro-democracy activists accuse Beijing of exerting too much influence on Hong Kong and are demanding the right to directly choose candidates for elected office -- rather than the newly instituted policy giving the central government veto power over eligible candidates -- and other reforms.

Students had hoped to meet with the No. 2 official in Hong Kong's government, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, in an effort to resolve the political crisis that has gripped the semiautonomous Chinese territory for a week.

Protest leader Edward Tsoi said that after some student protesters had been beaten and others sexually molested as police stood by and watched, protesters had lost all faith in government officials.

"The government and the police have done nothing to stop them," he told CNN.

A police spokesman rejected the protesters' claims, saying police had tried to fairly and neutrally manage a chaotic situation. At least 12 people were injured in the clashes in Mong Kok, including six officers, according to the police. (In the seven days of protest, 148 people have been injured.)

Police official Kong Man-keung told reporters Friday that police were struggling to deal with a quickly developing situation and did their best. He reiterated requests for protesters to disperse, but protest leaders said they would do nothing of the sort.

"Now, the government is declaring that it will stand firm in clearing the occupied areas," the student federation said in its statement. "And we ask Hong Kong people to come and protest all these areas and we will fight to the end and we're not going to succumb."

(CNN)