Tens of thousands of protesters marched through one of Hong Kong’s most popular tourist areas on Sunday, trying to gain support from mainland Chinese visitors for the city’s opposition to an extradition bill. The bill, which would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party, has triggered outrage across broad sections of Hong Kong society amid concerns it threatens the much-cherished rule of law that underpins the city’s international financial status. Hong Kong has been governed under a “one country, two systems” formula since its return to Chinese rule, allowing freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China, including the right to protest and an independent judiciary. The extradition bill would cover Hong Kong residents and foreign and Chinese nationals living or travelling through the city. Protesters want the bill withdrawn. Lawyers and rights groups say China’s justice system is marked by torture, forced confessions and arbitrary detention.
The protests have received little coverage in mainland China, however, with censors blocking news of the largest demonstrations on Chinese soil since the bloody suppression of pro-democracy protests centred on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989. Protesters on Sunday braved intermittent rain and marched through streets of Tsim Sha Tsui, a popular shopping destination dotted with luxury shops, to try to deliver their message directly to mainland Chinese tourists in the hope of garnering sympathy. They shouted slogans in Mandarin, mainland China’s official tongue, as opposed to Hong Kong’s main language Cantonese. They also handed out flyers and sent messages by social media and Apple’s phone-to-phone AirDrop system written in the simplified form of Chinese characters used on the mainland.
“Actually, I feel quite touched to see how Hong Kong people fight for their freedom,” said Zhang, 54, a frequent visitor to Hong Kong.“That’s something we can’t do in China. I think first-time travellers do not know what is happening right now... Indeed it let me see why Hong Kong is different from China. I received flyers and AirDrop - very smart act.”
The protest march finished at the city’s high-speed rail station that connects Hong Kong to the mainland, one of the main entry points for Chinese visitors. Police and train staff guarded every exit of the station. As the evening wore on several hundred regrouped and marched up a busy street towards the densely populated Mong Kok neighbourhood, blocking traffic along the way. Lines of police with helmets and plastic shields stopped their advance, and worked to disperse the group by driving them back
The protests have received little coverage in mainland China, however, with censors blocking news of the largest demonstrations on Chinese soil since the bloody suppression of pro-democracy protests centred on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989. Protesters on Sunday braved intermittent rain and marched through streets of Tsim Sha Tsui, a popular shopping destination dotted with luxury shops, to try to deliver their message directly to mainland Chinese tourists in the hope of garnering sympathy. They shouted slogans in Mandarin, mainland China’s official tongue, as opposed to Hong Kong’s main language Cantonese. They also handed out flyers and sent messages by social media and Apple’s phone-to-phone AirDrop system written in the simplified form of Chinese characters used on the mainland.
“Actually, I feel quite touched to see how Hong Kong people fight for their freedom,” said Zhang, 54, a frequent visitor to Hong Kong.“That’s something we can’t do in China. I think first-time travellers do not know what is happening right now... Indeed it let me see why Hong Kong is different from China. I received flyers and AirDrop - very smart act.”
The protest march finished at the city’s high-speed rail station that connects Hong Kong to the mainland, one of the main entry points for Chinese visitors. Police and train staff guarded every exit of the station. As the evening wore on several hundred regrouped and marched up a busy street towards the densely populated Mong Kok neighbourhood, blocking traffic along the way. Lines of police with helmets and plastic shields stopped their advance, and worked to disperse the group by driving them back
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