Sea of protesters takes to the streets in defiance of Hong Kong march ban
▶ City leader Carrie Lam promises police complaints inquiry but rejects other popular demands
Thousands of Hong Kongers, many wearing masks in defiance of emergency laws, staged an illegal march yesterday that will test the strength of the pro-democracy campaign after four months of unrest.
Protesters faced arrest for the march through the Kowloon district. They ranged from young students to the elderly, many carrying umbrellas to shield their faces from street surveillance cameras.
The Kowloon area has been the site of some of the worst violence in recent weeks and security was tight along the march route, with metro stations closed and police placing water cannon on the street.
Black-clad hardline protesters, who have staged running battles with police and set fire to metro stations, set up road blocks and sprayed graffiti.
A group of these “ninja” protesters ransacked two shops and protesters damaged two metro stations.
Protesters are angry at Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam for what they regard as her failure to protect their freedoms from the Chinese government, imposing colonial-era emergency powers and allowing what they say is excessive force by police.
“Carrie Lam is not listening to us at all. This may work in China but not in Hong Kong,” said Cheung, 33, a woman wearing a face mask and black T-shirt, symbols of the democracy movement.
“You can’t ask a city that already has freedom to walk backward. You can’t do this in an international city,” she said.
Hong Kong has been battered by months of often large-scale and violent protests and is experiencing its worst political crisis since Britain handed the territory back to China in 1997.
The sustained unrest also poses the biggest popular challenge to China’s President Xi Jinping since he took power. Mr Xi has vowed to crush any attempt to split China.
The turmoil was sparked by a bill that would have allowed extradition to mainland China for trial in Communist Party-controlled courts.
Demonstrations have since widened into a pro-democracy movement.
Protesters have five core demands: universal suffrage; an independent inquiry into police action against protesters; amnesty for those charged; an end to describing protesters as rioters and the formal withdrawal of the extradition bill.
Ms Lam has said the bill is dead, but it has yet to be formally withdrawn. She has rejected the other demands. Yesterday Mrs Lam said a police complaints inquiry will be completed before the end of the year.
Police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and sometimes live rounds while some protesters threw petrol bombs and bricks.
Two people have been shot and wounded by police and thousands injured. Officers have arrested more than 2,300 people since June.
Protesters believe the police refusal to issue a permit for yesterday’s march was an attempt to limit their numbers as some residents would be fearful of arrest for taking part.
Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” formula permits the city freedoms not available on the mainland.
Beijing has rejected claims it is encroaching on these freedoms and blames western nations for inciting the unrest.
However, protesters remain defiant. “The government pretends we just want to destroy the city. We’ll be out for as long as it takes to let the world know it is them who are destroying it,” said Ray, 24.