Protesters defy police ban with major display of force
HONG KONG — A sea of Hong Kong protesters marched through the dense city center in the pouring rain Sunday, defying a police ban, in a vivid display of the movement’s continuing strength after more than two months of demonstrations, days of ugly violence and increasingly vehement warnings from the Chinese government.
People began assembling in the early afternoon in Victoria Park, the starting point of huge peaceful marches in June that were joined by hundreds of thousands of protesters. The police approved the Sunday rally but objected to plans to march to the Central district, citing clashes that had occurred after previous events. But protesters marched anyway.
Organizers estimated at least 1.7 million people had turned out — nearly 1 in 4 of the total population of more than 7 million — making it the secondlargest march of the movement, after a protest by nearly 2 million June 16. The Hong Kong police released a much lower crowd estimate, saying there were 128,000 protesters in Victoria Park during the peak period.
When the march reached the government headquarters in the Admiralty district, the line of people behind stretched nearly 2 miles, with large crowds still waiting to leave the park.
“I came here for the future of Hong Kong and the next generation of Hong Kong. The government has not responded to our demands,” said Amy Bau, 41, a sign language teacher. “I have come out to march many times, and I will keep coming out if the government continues to not answer us.”
The march was peaceful after several days of relative quiet and no use of tear gas by the police over the weekend. The turnout was being closely watched as a gauge of public sentiment after several tumultuous days.
The protests began in June over a Hong Kong government proposal that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China. That legislation has been shelved, though not completely withdrawn, and the demands of the protesters have grown to include expanded direct elections and amnesty for arrested protesters. Many protesters have complained about the use of force by the police and have accused the authorities of not aggressively investigating thugs who have attacked demonstrators.
The Chinese government has criticized the protests in strong terms, calling violence at an airport protest last week “close to terrorism” and warning that the military could be called in. Paramilitary police officers have gathered for drills in the nearby city of Shenzhen, and a video carried by state media late Saturday showed hundreds of riot police officers with shields and batons charging at men dressed in black.