HONG KONG - Tens of thousands marched in
sweltering heat in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong on Sunday as
anti-government protests show no signs of let-up, with anger
over an extradition bill morphing into a fresh front against
what many see as an erosion of freedoms.
Millions have rallied over the past two months in an
unprecedented show of force against Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam,
triggering the worst social turmoil to rock the former British
colony since it returned to Chinese rule 22 years ago.
Protesters marched in temperatures of around 31 degrees
Celsius (87.8°F) from Victoria Park in the bustling shopping
district of Causeway Bay to Wan Chai, just one metro stop away,
after police shortened the route, citing safety concerns.
Rally organisers lost their appeal to have the march route
end at the Court of Final Appeal in Central district, close to
where police in June fired rubber bullets and tear gas to
disperse activists.
"I think many people will just march on towards Central,"
said pro-democracy legislator Claudia Mo.
"The police are terribly worried, I understand, about
possible scuffles, clashes ... violence around the government
and legislative complexes and the police headquarters."
Authorities used massive blue and white water barriers to
barricade government and police headquarters, while global bank
HSBC, in a rare move, pulled down large metal barriers
on the street level of its gleaming skyscraper building.
While most of the rallies have passed off peacefully, some
have erupted into violence late at night when more radical
protesters have clashed with police.
In images beamed live to the world in recent weeks,
protesters besieged police headquarters and on July 1 - the 22nd
anniversary of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule - stormed and
ransacked the city's legislature.
"KILL BILL" CALL
The latest protest comes a day after tens of thousands
gathered to voice support for the police force, who some have
accused of using excessive force against activists, and call for
an end to the violence.
While some at Sunday's march are calling for universal
suffrage, a key demand is for the now-shelved extradition bill,
which would have allowed people to be sent to China for trial,
to be fully withdrawn.
Other demands include charges against protesters to be
dropped and for an independent commission of inquiry into
complaints of excessive use of force by police.
"I came back to Hong Kong this summer because of the
protests," said Mandy Ko, 27, who is originally from Hong Kong
and now lives in Australia.
"My spirit is still with Hong Kong people."
Last weekend, two initially peaceful protests degenerated
into running skirmishes between baton-wielding police and
activists, resulting in scores of injuries and more than 40
arrests.
Lam has apologised for the turmoil the extradition bill has
caused and declared it "dead". Opponents of the bill, which they
fear could be used to silence dissent, say nothing short of its
withdrawal will do.
Under the terms of the handover from Britain in 1997, Hong
Kong was allowed to retain extensive freedoms not enjoyed on the
mainland under a "one country, two systems" formula, including
an independent judiciary and right to protest.
But for many Hong Kong residents, the extradition bill is
the latest step in a relentless march toward mainland control.
The protests have at times paralysed parts of the financial
district, shut government offices and disrupted business
operations across the city. Officials have also warned about the
impact of the unrest on the economy.
A commentary published in the Chinese Communist Party's
People's Daily newspaper on Sunday said: "If violence continues,
it will inevitably deal a greater blow to Hong Kong's prosperity
and stability."
China has condemned the violent protests as an "undisguised
challenge" to the one country, two systems formula.
Police late on Friday seized a cache of explosives and
weapons in an industrial building in the New Territories
district of Tsuen Wan. Three people were arrested in connection
with the seizure, which police described as the largest ever of
its kind in Hong Kong.
They said it was unclear if the explosives were related to
the protest.