Protests ramp up in Hong Kong

HONG KONG — After a relative lull in the protests, thousands of pro-democracy activists turned out Sunday for three demonstrations, a week after scoring a major victory in elections that were viewed as a broad endorsement of the movement’s goals.

The demonstrations on Sunday were all granted “letters of no objection,” unlike the many recent protests that had been banned by police. Activists have denounced such bans as unnecessary restrictions on freedom of assembly. While the first two protests were peaceful, a later one saw several tense confrontations between demonstrators and the police.