Despite a ban on police, tens of thousands of people have again taken to the streets in Hong Kong. A long protest march took place on Sunday through the district of Kowloon. Fear of riots left numerous shops closed.
The demonstrators sang the anthem of the protest movement and called on the government to fulfill all its demands. The protesters also wanted to set a sign against violence.
One of the organizers of the marches, Jimmy Shan, was hospitalized last week after being beaten up by men on the street. On Saturday, a 19-year-old protester was also attacked with a knife.
However, the protests on this Sunday did not remain non-violent: according to the Reuters news agency, shops and subway stations were devastated, and police used tear gas against demonstrators who used petrol bombs to attack a police station. Also water cannons were used. Many demonstrators were masked.
Ammar Awad / REUTERS
Protests in Hong Kong
Protests that had lasted since June had recently lost momentum after the government imposed a disguise ban and made it harder for protesters with restrictions on subway traffic to move around the city.
Once again many demonstrators with US flags were on Sunday. The adoption of a bill in the US House of Representatives to support the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong last week triggered serious tensions between China and the US.
The draft requires economic sanctions if the autonomy of Hong Kong is undermined. It also provides for punitive measures against politicians who have violated Hong Kong's freedoms. The draft is still in the Senate, but enjoys great support from Republicans and Democrats. In the end, US President Donald Trump would still have to sign the law.
Ammar Awad / REUTERS
Protesters erect roadblocks
For more than four months, people in Hong Kong have been demonstrating against their government and the growing influence of Communist leadership in Beijing. Since its return to China in 1997, Hong Kong has been governed autonomously by its own constitution, based on the principle of "one country, two systems". The seven million Hong Kong residents are under China's sovereignty, but unlike the people of the Communist People's Republic, they enjoy more rights such as freedom of expression and assembly, which they now fear.
