They are angry over new proposed laws which they say damage the freedoms of Hong Kong's people
The protesters wanted to surround the city’s government offices, but a smothering police presence forced them to abandon that plan. They tried to block traffic in the financial district at lunchtime, but the police pelted the crowd with rubber bullets. They gathered in malls to chant protest slogans, but were later rounded up and herded on to police buses.The protesters wanted to surround the city’s government offices, but a smothering police presence forced them to abandon that plan. They tried to block traffic in the financial district at lunchtime, but the police pelted the crowd with rubber bullets. They gathered in malls to chant protest slogans, but were later rounded up and herded on to police buses.
In all, the Hong Kong police arrested more than 300 people on Wednesday, including students in their teens and early 20s, most on suspicion of unauthorized assembly.
Anti- government protests have roiled this semi- autonomous Chinese city for months, but the anger remains palpable. Protests swelled again after Beijing announced last week that it would impose national security laws that democracy advocates fear would target dissent. Grievances over the use of force by the police continue to burn. And a law that would criminalize disrespect of the national anthem has further stirred fear over threats to Hong Kong’s cherished freedoms of speech and expression.
“I think maybe this is the last chance we have to fight back,” said Sheldon Liu, a 20-year-old college student who joined protesters outside a mall in the Causeway Bay neighborhood. “Of course I hope these laws will not pass, but I feel it is impossible to stop.”
China’s national security push in Hong Kong has raised concerns among democratic governments. President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan said on Wednesday that she was directing her government to develop a plan to help people who are fleeing Hong Kong.
Hong Kong’s government has sought to defend the security laws. John Lee, the secretary for security, said on Wednesday that violence during recent protests showed the need for the legislation and voiced his support for the police.
This year, the police appear more determined to quash the protests and more equipped to do so, calling into question the future of the antigovernment movement that has relied heavily on marches and outdoor rallies to drum up support. Wednesday’s protests followed a march on Sunday that drew thousands of people on to the streets in defiance of social-distancing orders in the city’s largest demonstration in months. Police officers fired tear gas, rubber bullets and a water cannon. Nearly 200 people were arrested.
Protesters could not get anywhere close to the complex, in stark contrast to last year’s demonstrations in which activists were able to besiege the local legislature and eventually force the government to abandon an unpopular extradition bill.
Increasingly, the police appear to be no longer seeking simply to disperse protesters, but to prevent them from gathering. If that fails, officers now also work to corral the protesters so they can arrest dozens at a time.
A pro-democracy union for hotel employees said police were searching guest rooms in several hotels near the legislative building for gear used in protests. Demonstrators stopped wearing all black to avoid being identified as protesters by the police, but that meant they found it difficult to locate one another on the streets. The police also arrested 10 teenagers for the possession of objects such as screwdrivers, gasoline bombs, respirators and a pair of scissors.
Officers also pre-empted the efforts of protesters to disrupt traffic around the morning rush hour by removing nails that had been scattered on roads and intercepting cars that were driving slowly in an attempt to cause traffic jams, the police said.
The protest on Wednesday was timed to coincide with when the city’s lawmakers were scheduled to debate legislation that would threaten a fine of up to about $6,500 and three years in prison for anyone found to be misusing or insulting the Chinese national anthem.
Rosa Ning, a 65-year-old retiree, made it as far as a footbridge several blocks away from the legislative complex before she was blocked by police cordons.
