Hong Kong’s summer of political discontent has taken a fresh turn, with a pro-establishment campaign group attracting almost 1m signatures to a petition denouncing calls for pro-democracy protests in the city.

The Alliance for Peace and Democracy, the latest addition to Hong Kong’s wide array of political groups, said on Tuesday that 935,635 people – equal to nearly one in seven of the population – had put their names to a statement that reads: “I oppose violence. I oppose ‘Occupy Central’. I support peace in Hong Kong. I support democracy in Hong Kong.”

The signature campaign is in response to pro-democracy group Occupy Central, which has threatened to stage disruptive sit-in protests in Hong Kong’s main business district if its calls for electoral reform are ignored.