Demonstrators during a protest against a government proposal that could allow extraditions to mainland China, in Hong Kong. Photos / Lam Yik Fei, New York Times
Hundreds of thousands of people filled the sweltering streets of Hong Kong in an immense protest against fraying freedoms that culminated after midnight local time with the police firing pepper spray and striking participants with batons.
The demonstration — organisers said they counted more than a million participants, or nearly one in seven Hong Kong residents — was one of the largest in the city's history.
Focused on a government plan to allow extraditions to mainland China, the march was a striking display of fear and anger over an erosion of the civil liberties that have long set this former British colony apart from the rest of the country.
It was a dramatic rebuke of Carrie Lam, the city's chief executive, and immediately raised the stakes in her contentious push to adopt the new legislation, which the ruling Communist Party in Beijing has endorsed.
Even after midnight local time the streets around the central government's offices were packed with thousands of people waving signs saying "No China Extradition" and "No Evil Law," reminiscent of the pro-democracy rallies five years ago that paralysed several of the city's main commercial and government districts and captivated the world.
Riot police officers with helmets, batons and shields moved in to try to remove the protesters. Some protesters pushed metal barriers and tossed bottles and sticks at police, shouting, "Communist dogs!"
The demonstration, which began last night NZT, had been largely peaceful, though tempers flared near the government offices as the protesters, whose march had slowed to a standstill in some parts, urged police to free up more lanes for them to proceed. Crowds booed when police buses, with lights flashing, arrived.
The protesters had set off from Victoria Park in the afternoon local time, with temperatures in the mid-20s and scattered rains providing little relief from the humidity. Many wore white as a symbol of justice and also mourning in Chinese culture.
Police estimated there were 240,000 protesters at the peak of the protest, but organisers, giving a figure topping one million, called it the biggest rally since 1989. As the crowd poured through the canyons of skyscrapers, it seemed to surpass the 2014 pro-democracy rally that drew more than half a million people.
The organisers said they hoped the numbers would show the breadth of disagreement with the extradition plan, which has stirred worries that people in Hong Kong, including foreign visitors, would be sent to face trial in Communist Party-controlled courts in mainland China.
The protesters directed much of their opposition toward Lam, calling for her to step down and booing as they passed a large screen displaying footage of her at a news conference. Lam declined to answer questions about the protests, but the huge public outcry puts her in a difficult spot before a vote on the bill expected later this month.
The government, responding to the protests, issued a statement saying the bill would prevent Hong Kong from becoming a haven for fugitives and pledging to "continue to engage, listen and allay concerns through calm and rational discussion."
The turnout underscored the deepening anxiety that many residents feel over Beijing's tightening grip over Hong Kong, a semiautonomous territory. The Communist Party had promised a "high degree of autonomy" before Britain returned the territory to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, but many feel that the city's freedoms are steadily eroding under Beijing's rule.
"I think this law will take away our freedoms if it is implemented," said Peter Lam, a 16-year-old high school student. "We will not have the right to express ourselves. So we must stand up and express ourselves today."
Young people and families were prominent in the crowd, with parents bouncing toddlers on their hips and leading young children by the hand. One child clutched a sign saying, "Protect my future."
The protesters' numbers were so large that many protesters said they were still stuck in subway stations waiting to join, and some trains were skipping stations because of overcrowding.
Police said that officers used pepper spray after five or six masked men tried to occupy a major thoroughfare near the route of the march.
The proposed legislation would allow for suspects in some criminal cases to be turned over to jurisdictions with which Hong Kong has no formal extradition agreement.
The immediate goal is to enable the Government to send a Hong Kong man to Taiwan, where he is accused of having killed his girlfriend.
But there is deep concern about the broader implications of the legislation, particularly enabling extraditions to mainland China.
Hong Kong's courts are far more transparent and independent than those in the mainland, where President Xi Jinping has been intensifying a crackdown on civil society.
Worries about the reach of mainland China's legal system have been made worse by the disappearance of people from Hong Kong into mainland custody, including a Chinese billionaire and men associated with a company that published books unflattering to mainland political leaders.
"Their judicial system is not good," George Wan, 31, a freelance tour guide and writer at the protest, said of mainland China. He said the Hong Kong Government was rushing the legislation through without properly consulting the public.
"We want to use our footsteps to tell the government we want more time," Wan said as he waved a folding fan painted with characters that read "Oppose sending to China."
The protest also drew people who normally stay on the sidelines. Lee Kin-long, 46, said he and his wife felt they needed to attend.
"This law is dangerous, and not just for activists," he said. "We are not activists. Even as regular citizens, we can't stand to see China eroding away our freedom."
Opposition to the legislation has been building for weeks, including a scuffle among lawmakers and an April demonstration that was the city's biggest in five years.
Public anger over the issue was also seen as a reason that tens of thousands of people turned out last week for a candlelight vigil in Victoria Park commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Worries about the proposal have inspired hundreds of petitions from student and alumni associations, religious organisations and trade groups.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and other press freedom groups have called on the Hong Kong Government to abandon or alter the legislation, citing the frequent jailing of journalists in the Chinese mainland. Foreign governments including the United States, Britain and Canada have also expressed concerns.
Lawyers in Hong Kong responded to the legislation last week by dressing in black for a silent protest march. A high court judge who signed a petition organised by University of Hong Kong alumni was reprimanded by the city's chief justice. Business associations have expressed fear that the measure would harm Hong Kong's reputation as a commercial centre.
The legislation excludes political crimes, and the Hong Kong Government has promised to monitor cases for human rights concerns. But many fear that Chinese authorities could use charges such as bribery to target people who have angered mainland officials.
Protests were also planned in several other cities, including New York, London, Tokyo and Sydney.
The last time residents of Hong Kong turned out in such large numbers over a single issue was in 2003, when half a million marchers expressed their opposition to proposed national security legislation prohibiting sedition, subversion and treason against the Chinese Government.
That legislation, known as Article 23, was shelved after so many people mobilised against it, arguing that it threatened civil liberties enshrined in Hong Kong's constitution. Polling by the University of Hong Kong has indicated that opposition to the extradition plan is even higher.
But pro-democracy lawmakers have said that unless the Government backs down, the measure is likely to pass in the local legislature, where pro-Beijing lawmakers hold 43 of 70 seats.
Ivan Choy, a senior lecturer in the department of government and public administration at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the Government was unlikely to be swayed by the public display of opposition.
"The major problem is that Xi Jinping holds power in China, and he is a strongman," Choy said. "He will back up Carrie Lam's decision to push forward."
"Most people know this reality," he continued, "but they have come out to show the world that this legislation is not the will of the Hong Kong public."
Written by: Austin Ramzy
Photographs by: Lam Yik Fei
© 2019 THE NEW YORK TIMES
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