Defying a government call for calm, black-clad protesters have taken part in a mass demonstration in Hong Kong as anti-establishment rallies in the Chinese financial hub enter a seventh month.
Anti-government protesters from all walks of society converged on Sunday in Victoria Park, the starting point of the rally in the bustling shopping district of Causeway Bay, and began a march to Chater Road near the heart of the financial district.
This is Hong Kong’s first large authorised march in months. Many are expecting the turnout to exceed a million since Causeway Bay remains packed peaceful protestors an hour into the march. However, the protestors promised an escalation if the government still fails to respond. pic.twitter.com/UtsQIZygIk
— Katherine Li (@Katherineli1997) December 8, 2019
Many demonstrators had sat on the grass in Victoria Park waiting for organizers to announce the start of the march, scheduled for 3 p.m. local time (0700 GMT), which would follow the route of similar protests in past months.
“Fight for Freedom, stand with Hong Kong,” chanted some of the protesters in the park.
“I will fight for freedom until I die because I am a Hong Konger,” said June, a middle-aged woman sitting on the grass in the park. “Today is about standing with Hong Kong, and the international community.”
Police said earlier on Sunday they had arrested 11 people aged 20 to 63 and seized weapons including army knives, firecrackers, 105 bullets and a semi-automatic handgun.
Sunday’s mass rallies marked six months after the protests first broke out in the Chinese city against a now-shelved extradition bill that would have allowed suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial.
However, demonstrators are now demanding greater autonomy for the semi-autonomous region and independence from mainland China.
More than 900 demonstrations, processions and public meetings have been staged since June.
In a statement on Saturday, the government appealed to opposition protesters, calling for calm.
It said that it had “learned its lesson and will humbly listen to and accept criticism” following the recent local elections, in which opposition candidates secured almost 90% of 452 district council seats.
Mainland China, for its part, has condemned unrest in the region, blaming foreign powers, including the United States and Britain, for stirring anti-establishment sentiment and interfering in the country’s internal affairs.
The territory is facing its worst political crisis since returning from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
