Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets on New Year's Day for more democracy in Hong Kong. There have also been new incidents during the protests. After only three hours, the police asked to break up the march.
Radical activists had previously attacked a bank branch. The emergency services use tear gas and pepper spray. There were arrests. When they retreated, demonstrators set up roadblocks and threw incendiary devices.
The New Year's rally was allowed by the authorities. At some points on the protest route from Victoria Park to Chater Road in the city center, police officers were posted in protective gear. Protest flags and banners read "Fights", "Hong Kong Independence" or "Liberated Hong Kong". The organizers of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) had called for the demonstration to show solidarity at the beginning of the new year.
The number of participants probably exceeded that of the March 9th, the CHRF said on Wednesday. At that time, the organizers counted 1.03 million demonstrators. The mass protest in June marks the beginning of the demonstrations in the Chinese special administrative zone, some of which have been violent for months.
The mass of the demonstrators can be seen in a video by the BBC correspondent Jonathan Head from Hong Kong:
HK today pic.twitter.com/irGYxnhPZp
- Jonathan Head (@pakhead) January 1, 2020People demonstrate against the growing influence of Beijing and disproportionately tough police actions. They call for real democracy and more self-determination.
One country, two systems
Since its return to China in 1997, Hong Kong has been governed autonomously according to the "one country, two systems" principle. Unlike the people in the People's Republic, the seven million Hong Kong citizens enjoy many rights, such as freedom of assembly and expression.
Prime Minister Carrie Lam had a debacle in the local elections in November, but there are no signs of concessions to the democracy movement either in Beijing or in Beijing. The central demands in the protests include the release of the 6,500 protesters who have now been arrested and the right to freely choose the head of government.