More than 200,000 protestors, potentially up to 1 million, took to the city’s streets on Sunday to oppose a local government proposal allowing fugitives to be handed over to authorities in mainland China. The Hong Kong police retaliated by fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters in attempts to repress and disperse those who had gathered outside government headquarters after concerns over greater Chinese control and erosion of civil liberties in the territory.
By most counts, the ongoing demonstration is one of the biggest since the colonizing Britain handed over the territory to China in 1997.
Police used rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper spray and batons to disperse crowds of demonstrators calling for authorities to scrap the Beijing-backed law.
Protesters “must stop the violence”, police chief Stephen Lo said, warning residents to stay away from a “riot situation”. He confirmed police were using rubber bullets, claiming that if officers had not used the bullets “protesters would have used metal bars to stab our colleagues”.
Despite the oppression of the Police, the protest, which was initiated on a peaceful basis. continues to resist. The protestors continue to chant “No Retraction, No Retreat”.
