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The Chinese government has banned public gatherings on the 32nd anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre in Hong Kong.
The police have closed Victoria Park to stop the vigil planned there.
More than 7,000 police officers patrolled the streets.
Liauw Ka-Kei, Chief of Police:
“As you all know, Hong Kong has seen new challenges in the past two years, especially when it comes to the illegal unrest. We have to adapt to these developments: the Hong Kong police will take all measures to maintain public order and security. "
The police justified the ban with the corona virus.
There have been no more than ten infections per day among the Hong Kong population since April.
Some residents had announced in advance that they still wanted to visit the locked park to pay their last respects to the victims of the Tiananmen massacre.
The well-known democracy activist Chow Hang-Tung had also indicated that she was involved.
She was arrested outside her office on Friday morning.
Last year, tens of thousands in Hong Kong had opposed a gathering ban.
Several activists were sentenced and the Chinese government passed the so-called security law.
Since then, this has allowed the authorities in Hong Kong to crack down on protests - even if they have only been announced.
Liauw Ka-Kei, Chief of Police:
“I must remind you that an unauthorized meeting is a criminal offense. In fact, it is a very serious offense that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. "
The 32nd anniversary of the massacre in Hong Kong did not go without a protest.
Dozens of students from the university symbolically cleaned the "Pillar of Shame," a sculpture dedicated to the Tiananmen victims.
The students observed a minute's silence and placed flowers in front of the sculpture.
Charles Kwo, President of the Student Union:
»With the event we want to commemorate the people who sacrificed themselves for freedom and democracy. (...) And we hope to defend the historical truth as our freedom of speech is dwindling. "
On June 3rd and 4th, 1989, the Chinese People's Liberation Army violently crushed the people's democracy protests on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Thousands of people were killed in the massacre. The Chinese government has tried to suppress the memory of the victims for years.