Another weekend of protests began in Hong Kong on Saturday, days after both the demonstrators and the police came under criticism for taking violence and mayhem to new levels.
The events scheduled for the weekend, beginning with a rally led by teachers, underscore the breadth and variety of the protest movement.
Several thousand people attended a student-led rally in Hong Kong’s Chater Garden on Friday, opening a series of protests in various parts of the one-time UK colony.
No violent incidents were reported at the pro-democracy rally, which was held with police permission at a public square at the city’s financial district.
Activists have announced several more rallies, including a Saturday demo in two harborside districts popular with tourists from mainland China. A separate, pro-government gathering under the slogan “Save Hong Kong” has also been scheduled for Saturday.
Observers expect the biggest crowd of pro-democracy would gather on Sunday for a rally organized by the Civil Human Rights Front, a protest organization that advocates non-violence.
China has issued its most pointed threat yet to pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, warning that it has “enough solutions and enough power to swiftly quell unrest” should it deem the situation “uncontrollable”.
Speaking to international media in London on Thursday, China’s ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, also accused some British politicians of harbouring a “colonial mindset” in their interventions.
On Wednesday satellite images showed hundreds of armoured paramilitary police vehicles parked in a stadium in the southern Chinese city of Shenzen, close to the Hong Kong border.
The wave of demonstrations began in June to oppose a now-suspended bill that would allow extraditions to mainland China, but the movement has broadened to include other demands, including universal suffrage and an investigation of the police.
Via NYT/ SCMP/ Strait Times
