2019–2020 Hong Kong protests

2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests
Hundreds of thousands of protesters marching in white on 9 June (top) and in black 16 June (bottom).
Date	31 March 2019 – ongoing (5 years, 7 months and 3 weeks)
Location	Various districts of Hong Kong and dozens of other cities abroad
Caused by	Proposal of the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 Excessive use of force by the Hong Kong Police Force against demonstrators and government characterisation of protests as riots (since 12 June)
Goals	Complete withdrawal of the proposed extradition bill from the legislative process (as opposed to suspension) Retraction of the characterisation of the protests as "riots" Release and exoneration of arrested protesters Establishment of an independent commission of inquiry into police behaviour Universal suffrage for Legislative Council and Chief Executive elections Resignation of Carrie Lam
Methods	Occupations, sit-ins, civil disobedience, mobile street protests, flash mobs, Black Blocs, Blockade, Internet activism, hacktivism, mass strikes, protest art (Lennon Walls), hunger strikes, petitions, boycotts, advertisements, riots
Concessions	Extradition bill indefinitely suspended on 15 June Chief Executive Lam offers a limited public apology on 16 June for failing to properly communicate the bill's purpose and not holding public consultations Lam declares "The bill is dead" on 9 July Police partially retracts characterisation of protests as "riots"
Parties
Protesters (no centralised leadership) Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) Pro-democracy camp Demosistō Localist camp Pro-independence groups Student Localism Students Independent Union Student unions of the public universities Lawyers (6 June and 7 August march) Financial sector (1 August flash mob) Medical sector (2 August rally) Civil servants (2 August protest) Hong Kong Hong Kong Police Force Pro-Beijing camp Safeguard Hong Kong Alliance Politihk Social Strategic Supported by: China Communist Party of China (CCP) Central Coordination Group for Hong Kong and Macau Affairs United Front Work Department Government of China Ministry of State Security Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Hong Kong Liaison Office Triad groups (suspected)
Lead figures
Protesters (no centralised leadership) Government Carrie Lam Chief Executive Teresa Cheng Secretary for Justice John Lee Secretary for Security Stephen Lo Commissioner of Police
Injuries and arrests
Death(s)	5 (all suicide)
Injuries	230+ (as of 31 July 2019)
Arrested	700+ (as of 12 August 2019)

2019–2020 Hong Kong protests
Traditional Chinese	反逃犯條例修訂運動
Simplified Chinese	反逃犯条例修订运动
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Fǎn táofàn tiáolì xiūdìng yùndong Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Fáan tòuh faahn tìuh laih sāu ding wahn duhng Jyutping Faan2 tou4 faan6 tiu4 lai6 sau1 ding3 wan6 dung6
Anti-repatriation protests
Traditional Chinese	反送中運動
Simplified Chinese	反送中运动
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Fǎn sòng zhōng yùndòng Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Fáan sung jūng wahn duhng Jyutping Faan2 sung3 zung1 wan6 dung6

The 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests are a series of ongoing demonstrations in Hong Kong against an extradition bill proposed by the government of Hong Kong. If enacted, the bill would allow local authorities to detain and extradite people who are wanted in territories that Hong Kong does not have extradition agreements with, including mainland China and Taiwan. Some fear the bill would place Hong Kongers and visitors under the mainland Chinese jurisdiction, undermining the principle of "one country, two systems" and that it would take away their rights.

Demonstrations against the bill began in March and April, but escalated in June. Hundreds of thousands of people marched in protest of the bill on 9 June. Protests on 12 June, the day the bill was scheduled to a second reading in the Legislative Council, marked a sharp escalation in violence. Riot police employed tear gas and rubber bullets against demonstrators. Subsequently, investigations into police behaviour and greater accountability for their actions became part of protestor demands. A larger march occurred on 16 June.

On 1 July, hundreds of thousands of people participated in the annual July marches. A portion of these demonstrators split from the march and broke into the Legislative Council Complex, vandalising central government symbols.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam suspended the extradition bill on 15 June and declared it "dead" on 9 July. However, she did not say the bill would be fully withdrawn. Executive Council members Regina Ip and Bernard Charnwut Chan stated that the government does not intend to make further concessions.

Protests continued through the summer, escalating into increasingly violent confrontations between police, activists, pro-Beijing triad members, and local residents in over 20 different neighbourhoods throughout the region. As demonstrations continue, protestors called for an independent inquiry on police brutality, the release of arrested protesters, a retraction of the official characterisation of the protests as "riots", and direct elections to choose Legislative Council members and the Chief Executive.

Background

See also: 2019 Hong Kong extradition bill and Causes of 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests

The Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 was first proposed by the government of Hong Kong on February 2019 in response to a 2018 homicide involving a Hong Kong couple in Taiwan. Hong Kong does not have a treaty with Taiwan permitting the extradition of suspects, and negotiating one would be problematic since the government of China does not recognise the sovereignty of Taiwan. To resolve this issue, the Hong Kong government proposed an amendment to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance (Cap. 503) and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance (Cap. 525) that would establish a mechanism for case-by-case transfers of fugitives, on the order of the Chief Executive, to any jurisdiction with which the city lacks a formal extradition treaty. This included extradition to mainland China.

The inclusion of mainland China in the amendment is concern to different sectors of Hong Kong society. Pro-democracy advocates fear the city's jurisdiction would merge with mainland Chinese laws administered by the Communist Party, thereby eroding the "one country, two systems" principle established since the 1997 handover. Opponents of the current bill urged the Hong Kong government to establish an extradition arrangement solely with Taiwan, and to sunset the arrangement immediately after the surrender of the suspect.

Objectives

Protestors initially demanded only the withdrawal of the extradition bill. Following an escalation in police tactical response against demonstrators on 12 June and the bill's suspension on 15 June, the objective of the protestors has been to achieve these five demands:

Demand	Rationale
Complete withdrawal of the extradition bill from the legislative process	Although the bill was suspended indefinitely on 15 June, debate on it may be quickly restarted. Currently, the bill is "pending resumption of second reading" in the Legislative Council. Pro-establishment legislators, including Ann Chiang, have indicated that the legislative process on the bill could be resumed after current protests end.
Retraction of the "riot" characterisation	The government had originally used the word "riot" to describe the 12 June protest. Later the description was amended to say there were some protesters who rioted. However protesters contest the existence of acts of rioting during the 12 June protest.
Release and exoneration of arrested protesters	Protesters consider the arrests to be politically motivated; they question the legitimacy of policemen arresting protesters at hospitals using their confidential medical data in breach of patient privacy.
Establishment of an independent commission of inquiry into police conduct and use of force during the protests	Civic groups felt that the level of violence used by the police on 12 June, specifically those against protesters who were not committing any offences when they were set upon, was unjustified; Police performing stop-and-search to numerous passers-by near the protest site without probable cause was also considered abusive. Some officers' failure to display or show their police identification number or warrant card despite being required to do so by the Police General Orders is seen to be a breakdown of accountability. The existing watchdog lacks independence, and its functioning relies on police cooperation.
Resignation of Carrie Lam and the implementation of universal suffrage for Legislative Council and Chief Executive elections	Currently, the Chief Executive is selected by a 1,200-member Election Committee and 30 Legislative Council seats are filled by limited electorates that represent different sectors of the economy.

Events: March – June

31 March demonstration

The Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), a platform for 50 pro-democracy groups, launched its first protest march against the bill on 31 March, from Southorn Playground in Wan Chai to the Central Government Complex in Admiralty. Claudia Mo, pro-democracy camp's convener, and Lam Wing-kee, the owner of Causeway Bay Books who had been kidnapped by Chinese agents in 2015, led the rally. High-profile democracy activists, like Cardinal Joseph Zen, barristers Martin Lee and Margaret Ng, and Apple Daily owner Jimmy Lai, also attended the rally. Organisers claimed 12,000 people took part in the march, while police put the peak figure at 5,200.

28 April march

Thousands of protesters marched in Wan Chai against the proposed China extradition law on 28 April 2019.

The second protest march against the extradition bill began at East Point Road, Causeway Bay and headed to the Legislative Council in Admiralty. The march lasted over four hours. While police estimated 22,800 protesters, organisers claimed 130,000 participants. The latter figure was the highest since the estimated 510,000 that organisers claimed joined the annual 1 July protest in 2014.

The next day, Chief Executive Carrie Lam remained adamant that the bill would be enacted and said the Legislative councillors had to pass the new extradition laws before their summer break. Lam said Chan Tong-kai, the murder suspect, could be out of prison by October, hence the urgency of passing the extradition bill. Although Chan received a prison sentence on 29 April, Secretary for Security John Lee expected that Chan could be free to leave Hong Kong early for good behaviour.

6 June lawyers' silent march

Thousands of lawyers marched in black against the extradition bill on 6 June 2019.

Legal professionals concerned about the extradition bill also staged a silent march on 6 June. In black attire, lawyers, legal academics and law students marched from the Court of Final Appeal to the Central Government Offices. Dennis Kwok, Legislative Councillor for the Legal constituency, and Martin Lee and Denis Chang, two former Hong Kong Bar Association chairmen, led the march. The group of lawyers stood silently in front of government headquarters for three minutes. Kwok said, "We shall not bow our heads [to the government]". More than 3,000 lawyers, representing around one-quarter of the city's legal professionals, attended the march – the fifth and largest protest march held by lawyers in Hong Kong since 1997.

While the protesting lawyers expressed reservations about openness and fairness of the justice system in China, Secretary Lee had previously said the legal sector did not really understand the bill and some had not read the bill before protesting.

9 June protest

Daytime rally

Mass protest on 9 June: organisers estimated 1 million participants; police said 270,000 at its peak.

Before the government tabled the extradition bill's second reading in the Legislative Council on 12 June, the CHRF had called Hong Kong people to march against the bill on 9 June through an approximately 3 km (1.86 mi) route from Victoria Park to the Legislative Council in Admiralty.

Police ordered MTR to bypass Wan Chai, Causeway Bay and Tin Hau stations for several hours. Protesters exited at Fortress Hill to join the protest. Police urged protesters to start off before the official 3 pm start-time to ease overcrowding; police were forced to open up all lanes on Hennessy Road, having previously refused to do so. A significant number of protesters were still leaving Victoria Park up to four hours after the start time, and were still arriving at the end-point at 10 pm.

Reports suggested it could have been the largest ever, and certainly the largest protest Hong Kong has seen since the 1997 handover, surpassing the turnout seen at mass rallies in support of the Tiananmen protests of 1989 and 1 July demonstration of 2003. CHRF convenor Jimmy Sham said that 1.03 million people attended the march, while the police put the crowd at 240,000 at its peak.

Night-time clashes

Hundreds of protesters camped in front of the government headquarters well into the night, with more joining them in response to calls from Demosistō and pro-independence activists. Police formed a human chain to prevent protesters from entering Harcourt Road, the main road next to government headquarters, while Special Tactical Squad (STS) was on standby. Although the CHRF had officially called an end to the march at 10 pm, around 100 protesters remained at Civic Square.

Protesters on Harcourt Road at night, with police on standby. 9 June 2019

At 11 pm, the government issued a press statement, saying it "acknowledge[s] and respect[s] that people have different views on a wide range of issues", but insisted the second reading debate on the bill would resume on 12 June. In response, several members of Demosistō staged a sit-in outside the Legislative Council Complex demanding a dialogue with Lam and Lee, while pro-independence groups Student Localism and the Students Independent Union, called for escalating protest actions if the government failed to withdraw the bill.

Around midnight, tensions escalated and clashes broke out between protesters and officers at the Legislative Council Complex. Protesters threw bottles and metal barricades at police and pushed barricades while officers responded with pepper spray. Riot police pushed back against the crowd and secured the area, while police on Harcourt Road also pushed protesters back onto the pavements. Clashes shifted to Lung Wo Road as many protesters gathered and barricaded themselves from the officers. Several hundred protesters were herded by officers towards Lung King Street in Wan Chai around 2 am and then into Gloucester Road.

The South China Morning Post described the night protest as similar to "bigger clashes during the 2014 Occupy protests". The number of protesters gradually dwindled since around 3 am. By the end of the clearance, 19 protesters had been arrested while 358, who had been corralled along the wall of the Old Wan Chai Police Station by a large number of officers, had their profiles recorded; 80 percent of them were younger than 25.

The next morning, Lam refused to withdraw the bill but acknowledged that the sizeable rally showed there were "clearly still concerns" over the bill. Pressed about whether she would resign, she asserted it was important to have a stable governing team "when our economy is going to undergo some very severe challenges because of external uncertainties."

12 June – strike and siege of LegCo

Early stage

Online groups called on people to "picnic" on the morning of 12 June at Tamar Park.

A general strike had been called for 12 June, the day of the planned resumption of the second reading of the extradition bill. The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) appealed to workers to join the protest; hundreds of businesses closed for the day and numerous workers went on strike. Affiliate Hong Kong Cabin Crew Federation also called a strike. HSBC, Standard Chartered and Bank of East Asia closed some central branches; some of the banks and the Big Four accounting firms had agreed to flexible work arrangements for staff; Hong Kong Jockey Club shut down three of its central betting branches, citing employee safety. The Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union (HKPTU) called on its members to attend a protest rally after school hours on that day. Student unions of most of the major higher education institutions had also called for student strike on 12 June; 50 social welfare and religious groups also took part in the strike. The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong urged the Hong Kong government and the public to show restraint, and the administration "not to rush to amend the extradition bill before fully responding to the concerns of the legal sector and the public."

A Facebook post calling on people to "enjoy a picnic" at the Tamar Park on 11 June attracted 2,000 people. In anticipation of the protest the next day, the police force tightened the security. In the Admiralty station they stopped commuters, mostly teenagers and searched their bags, resulting in some friction between the public and the police.

Another call to "picnic" at the Tamar Park on 12 June attracted close to 10,000 responses. The Legislative Council Commission issued an amber security alert. The protest zone outside the building was closed and access to the complex was limited. Sit-ins began in the morning and large crowd built up at the MTR exit. Around 8 am, the crowd rushed onto Harcourt Road, blocking traffic. Lung Wo Road and surrounding streets were also blocked by the protesters in a scene reminiscent of 2014 Occupy protests. A banner with "Majority calls on Carrie Lam to step down" and "Withdraw the extradition bill, defend One Country Two Systems" written on it was hung from the Admiralty Centre footbridge. Around 11 am, the Legislative Council Secretariat announced that the second reading debate on the extradition bill had been postponed indefinitely.

Violent clashes

Police vans carrying riot police began to line up adjacent to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on standby, around 1 pm. A source in the pro-Beijing camp said that some Communist Party legislators were at Central Police District Headquarters, while online groups called on protesters to block vehicles that might be used to transport the legislators to the Legislative Council.

Harcourt Road before (top) and after (bottom) police fired tear gas at the protesters. 12 June 2019

Around 3:20 pm, protesters on Tim Wa Avenue began to charge the police barricades and were doused with pepper spray in reply. Some protesters at the junction of Lung Wo Road and Tim Wa Avenue broke through the barricades and took over Tim Wa Avenue after riot police walked into the government headquarters, leaving a Special Tactical Unit to defend. Protesters also attempted to charge the Legislative Council building. Riot police dispersed the protesters by firing tear gas, beanbag rounds and rubber bullets.

There was a stand-off on Harcourt Road between protesters and the police. Many protesters took shelter in the buildings nearby as more tear gas was fired. As of 6 pm, 22 injured people had been sent to public hospitals. At around 6:20 pm, the Legislative Council Secretariat issued a circular saying Legislative Council President Andrew Leung had called off the meeting. Protesters remained in the streets outside the AIA Tower in Central, Queensway outside Pacific Place shopping mall, and at the junction of Arsenal Street and Hennessy Road in Wan Chai into the night. In Central, private cars were employed to block Connaught Road Central while protesters chanted slogans from the Exchange Square bridge. The number of protesters dwindled after midnight as roads gradually reopened. By the end of the day, at least 79 protesters and police officers had been treated in hospitals; around 150 tear gas canisters, "several" rounds of rubber bullets, and 20 beanbag shots had been fired during the protest clearance.

Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo declared the clashes a "riot" and condemned the protesters' behaviour. Speaking in Cantonese, Lo used the term for "disturbance", but a police spokesman later clarified he meant "riot". Chief Executive Carrie Lam backed Lo, saying the protesters' "dangerous and life-threatening acts" had devolved into a "blatant, organised riot".

Overnight, 2,000 protesters from religious groups held a vigil outside the government headquarters, singing hymns and praying. Various trade unions, businesses and schools also vowed to stage protests. The Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union called for a city-wide strike lasting a week. At least 4,000 Hong Kong teachers followed the call.

Siege of CITIC Tower

CITIC Tower from Lung Wui Road.

According to the CHRF, the police had earlier agreed to peaceful demonstration within the area outside CITIC Tower in its letter of no objection. However, teargas was fired by police, to some criticism. Videos depicted the police firing tear gas on both sides of Lung Wui Road at around 4 pm as in a pincer movement near Citic Tower went viral on Hong Kong social media. People who were trying to push into the building to flee the gas found the doors locked and themselves cornered by police.

As people trickled through the jammed central revolving door and a small side door, the police fired another two tear gas canisters into the trapped crowd fuelling panic. Protesters attempted to break down another locked side door in a desperate attempt to gain entry. Pro-democrat legislators criticised the police action which nearly caused a stampede. Amnesty International also criticised the use of tear gas against the trapped crowd.

Police brutality allegations

See also: Hong Kong Police Force § 2019 anti-extradition bill clashes

Many videos of aggressive police action appeared online: one showed tear gas canisters being fired at peaceful and unarmed protesters, first-aid volunteers, and even reporters. One video showed a protester apparently being hit in the face by a police projectile; another showed police firing multiple rounds of tear gas at hundreds of trapped protesters outside CITIC Tower. A The New York Times video essay showed tear gas was deployed as an "offensive weapon" and that in several cases, unarmed protesters were beaten and dragged by police commanders. On 21 June, Amnesty International published a report examining policing tactics by its team of experts who examined footage of 14 incidents. Video showed apparent unlawful use of batons and rubber bullets, improper use of riot control agents, lack of visible police identification and restrictions on journalists and medics. Amnesty concluded that the use of force by police against the largely peaceful protest was unnecessary and excessive and that police had "violated international human rights law and standards."

Protesters complained about the lack of identifying numbers on the uniforms of the Special Tactical Squad (STS), who were accused of police brutality. During the 2014 Occupy protests, the 2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, and the 9 June clashes, police uniforms had always displayed numbers. The numbers appeared to have disappeared since 12 June, when police officers began wearing newly designed uniforms without numbers. Although Secretary Lee claimed there was no space on the new uniforms to display their numbers, it is an operational requirement. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the police complained that personal information of more than 400 officers and about 100 of their family members had been posted online. Activists have also targeted senior officers in the force who are British, questioning the legacy of colonial violence.

Top bodies of the United Nations condemned the actions of police. A spokesman for U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said she was concerned by the "escalation of violence" in Hong Kong, and Rupert Colville said the UN Human Rights Office had also reviewed credible evidence that police are using "less-lethal weapons in ways that are prohibited by international norms". Carrie Lam and Stephen Lo repeatedly sidestepped questions over police violence and rejected protesters' demands for an independent inquiry into the policing of the 12 June protest, only replying that the Complaints Against Police Office (CAPO) and the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) – both of which are internal institutions – would look into the complaints.

Assaults on journalists

At a police press conference, reporters wore safety hats and gas masks in protest of police brutality against front line press. 13 June 2019

The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) accused the police of "trampl[ing] on reporters" and ignoring their safety. They complained that the police had unreasonably interfered with newsgathering by shining flashlights directly at them to disperse them. A driver for public broadcaster RTHK was hit by a tear gas round and was sent to hospital after he suffered a cardiac arrest. The HKJA also said members complained that some police officers had been verbally insulting and abusive, including the use of profanity at a member of the press. Another online video showed riot police firing tear gas rounds directly at a journalist. The HKJA filed a complaint with the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) claiming police had caused bodily harm to 26 journalists during the protests. The police press conference on 13 June was attended by reporters wearing high-visibility vests, helmets and gas masks in protest.

Hospital arrests

At least four protesters were arrested at hospitals while receiving treatment following clashes earlier that day. The police chief admitted that officers had accessed medical records, raising concerns over confidentiality of patient information. On 17 June, Legislative Councillor for the Medical constituency Pierre Chan presented a partial list that disclosed the information of 76 patients who had been treated in the emergency ward of a public hospital on 12 and 13 June, along with a note that stated "for police" which was written on the top-left corner of the document. Chan said such a list could be obtained through the clinical data system in some hospitals without requiring a password and accused the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HKHA) for leaking patients' data to the police. The HKHA denied the accusation, stressing that it had never authorised anyone to print the patients' data for police officers.

The Hong Kong Adventist Hospital in Tsuen Wan also reportedly refused to treat an injured protester and advised the person to go to Yan Chai Hospital before reporting him to the police. The private hospital told media that its protocol prohibits it from handling cases related to "criminal activities", adding that patients involved in such cases are referred to a public hospital.

Tensions grew between the medical profession and the police force with both parties accused of verbal harassment and abuse. The police force later withdrew from posts at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Yan Chai Hospital.

14 June mothers' sit-in

Following an interview of Carrie Lam on TVB in the morning of 12 June in which she lamented that as a mother, she would not have tolerated her children's violent protests, a group of women barristers and scholars from Chinese University launched an online petition stating that "the people of Hong Kong are not your children" and admonished her for attacking their children with tear gas, rubber bullets or bag bombs." Some 6,000 people participated in a three-hour sit-in at Chater Garden in Central on the evening of 14 June. The protesters dressed in black and holding carnations, called on Carrie Lam to step down and for the government to retract the bill. They also held up placards condemning police brutality, such as "don't shoot our kids." The organisers also said they had collected more than 44,000 signatures in a petition condemning the views Lam expressed in the interview.

16 June march

On 15 June, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced a pause in the passage of the extradition bill after the Legislative Council meetings had been postponed for four working days in a row. The pro-democracy camp feared it was merely a tactical retreat and demanded a full withdrawal of the bill and said they would go ahead with the 16 June rally as planned. Jimmy Sham, convenor of the CHRF, said the suspension could be a trap. They also called for Lam's resignation, apology for "disproportionally violent" police tactics towards peaceful protesters, the release of arrested protesters, and to withdraw the official characterisation of the protest on 12 June as "riot".

The march started ahead of time, at 2:30 pm on 16 June, from Victoria Park, Causeway Bay, to the Legislative Council in Admiralty – an approximately 3-kilometre-long (1.9 mi) route. Slogan-chanting protesters were predominantly dressed in black, some wearing white ribbons on their chests in anger at police brutality during the 12 June crackdown. Many protesters started their march from North Point as the police ordered the MTR not to stop at Tin Hau and Causeway Bay during the march. Nearby train stations were swamped with hundreds of thousands pouring into the protest zone; those from the Kowloon side trying to join the protest had to wait up to an hour at a time to board cross-harbour Star Ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui. The size of the crowd forced police to open all the six lanes of Hennessy Road; the masses then also spilled over onto Lockhart Road and Jaffe Road – all three being parallel streets and major thoroughfares in Wan Chai.

Protesters making way for an ambulance on Queensway at night.

The procession from Causeway Bay to Admiralty lasted from 3 pm to 11 pm. Marchers left bouquets and slogans on the site in front of Pacific Place where a man had committed suicide on 15 June. At night, protesters blocked Harcourt Road, causing traffic to grind to a halt. Protesters, however, allowed trapped vehicles – mainly franchised buses and emergency vehicles – to pass.

Early in the afternoon, Stand News, an independent online news agency, had used big data analysis to predict that there is a 72% chance that 1.44 million would have participated in the protest. The CHRF claimed the final turnout at "almost 2 million plus 1 citizens", which set the record of the largest protest in Hong Kong history. The police said that there were 338,000 marchers on the original route at its peak.

At 8:30 pm, the government issued a statement in which Carrie Lam apologised to Hong Kong residents and promised to "sincerely and humbly accept all criticism and to improve and serve the public."

21 and 24 June police HQ sieges

A loose association of university-based protest groups, officially known as the Student's Unions of Higher Institutions, reiterated its four main as-yet unaddressed demands after not receiving any official response from the government. Further protests were called on 21 June.

At around 11 am, protesters gathered outside government headquarters and quickly blocked the traffic on Harcourt Road. Some of the protesters also marched to Hong Kong Police Headquarters in Wan Chai as Demosistō activist Joshua Wong, who was released from prison only a few days earlier after serving a sentence for his actions in the 2014 protests, urged the crowd to surround the complex. Dozens of protesters also staged a sit-in at the Revenue Tower and Immigration Tower nearby. Another round of blockade occurred three days later, on 24 June. On 26 June, protesters returned to the Revenue Tower to apologise to civil servants for the earlier disruption.

By the evening of 21 June, a siege had developed at the Police Headquarters as thousands of protesters amassed in Arsenal Street. South China Morning Post reported that protesters had "blocked the police headquarters' exits, threw eggs at the compound, drew graffiti on the walls, covered closed-circuit television cameras with tape, splashed oil on officers and targeted laser beams at police officers' eyes". The police took no action to disperse the protesters. The police sought medical attention for some staff members and had made a total of five ambulance calls by 9:33 pm. After the ambulance's arrival, the medics waited for tens of minutes in front of the gate of the police headquarter for the police to unlock it. The siege ended peacefully at 2:40 am as most of the protesters had left. Staff members and officers trapped inside the building evacuated via a back entrance to board waiting for coaches. The police blamed the protesters for the delayed treatment, though Hong Kong Fire Services Department stated that the protesters did not obstruct any rescue effort by the paramedics.

• 
  Protesters occupying Harcourt Road while allowing other vehicles to pass through.
• 
  Protesters in Revenue Tower.
• 
  Protesters occupying the Legislative Council Complex.
• 
  Protesters outside the Hong Kong Police Headquarters in Wan Chai.
• 
  The wall outside the Police Headquarters after the protest.

26 and 28 June G20 summit rallies

Protests occurred outside 19 foreign consulates in Hong Kong. Around 1,500 protesters during the day visited the consulates of countries expected to attend the G20 Osaka summit, handing out petitions to raise awareness of the movement in hopes of putting pressure on China. Meanwhile, there were solidarity protests in Osaka, Japan during the G20 Summit. China said it would not tolerate any discussion at the forum because "Hong Kong matters are purely an internal affair to China [in which] no foreign country has a right to interfere."

In the evening, thousands gathered for a rally outside the City Hall, shouting slogans of freedom and democracy. The protests stretched to the International Finance Centre, and spilled over into Lung Wo Road, blocking westbound traffic during the evening rush hour. Thousands of protesters then assembled at Edinburgh Place at night, holding signs that read "Democracy now" and "Free Hong Kong." At the same time, around 1,000 protesters surrounded the Wan Chai police headquarters for six hours.

On 28 June, some of the G20 demonstrations also protested against the Hong Kong government's prospective surrender of a strip of land in Central Harbourfront to the People's Liberation Army on 29 June. In light of the protests on 27 June, Au Nok-hin's resolutions and Eddie Chu's proposal to delay the surrendering date were halted as pro-Beijing legislator Christopher Cheung requested an adjournment for debate to shift attention on restoring peace in Hong Kong. Chu and protesters entered the pier at around 11:30 pm. Protesters left the pier at midnight when its jurisdiction was legally turned over to PLA, though a standoff between the protesters and the police continued till 1 am.

• 
  Protesters outside The Consulate General of the United States of America in Hong Kong and for Macau.
• 
  Protesters with messages saying "Defend Sovereignty of Hong Kong, Please liberate Hong Kong". One man was holding the flag of Jerusalem Municipality in the background.
• 
  Protesters give letter to Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong representative (Yoshi Abe)
• 
  Protesters to block the roads and surround the police headquarters
• 
  Protesters in Edinburgh Place calling on G20 country leaders to raise concerns at the summit.

Events: July

1 July protests

Annual pro-democracy march

See also: Hong Kong 1 July marches

The annual 1 July march at the Jardine's Bazaar shopping district.

As the city marked the 22nd anniversary of its 1997 handover to China, the annual pro-democracy protest march organised by CHRF claimed a record turnout of 550,000 while police placed the estimate around 190,000; independent organisations using scientific methods calculated that participation was in the region of 250,000 people.

At the annual flag-raising ceremony in the morning outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, police used pepper spray and batons to suppress the disruption by protesters. Before the march, youths had begun besieging the Legislative Council building. Due to the storming of the Legislative Council, the destination of the march was diverted to Chater Road in Central.

Storming of LegCo

Hong Kong flag with black background – the Black Bauhinia – used by some protesters.

At around 9 pm local time, hundreds of protesters stormed the legislature after breaking through the glass walls and metal doors of the building. Protesters damaged portraits of former pro-Beijing presidents of the Legislative Council, spray-painted slogans such as "It was you who taught me peaceful marches did not work," and "There are no rioters, only tyrannical rule," smashed furniture, defaced the Hong Kong emblem, waved the Union Flag and displayed the colonial Hong Kong flag on the podium. At the same time, protesters hung up signs and installed barricades, warning others to protect cultural objects and to do no damage to books in the library while protesting. The police started using tear gas to disperse protesters around the LegCo at 12:05 am, and reached the building 15 minutes later.

Protesters blamed the occupation and acts of property damage to be the result of Carrie Lam's "lack of positive response to the public." It was also reported that the deaths from the suicide events also sparked anger and desperation among the protesters, which also contributes to the protest on 1 July.

Carrie Lam held a press conference at 4 am stating that she acknowledged the peaceful and orderly march, but condemned strongly the "violence and vandalism by protesters who stormed into the Legislative Council building". However, Lam dodged questions regarding recent deaths and the government left the unanswered questions out of the official transcript, an act criticised by the Hong Kong Journalists Association for hindering public's right to know. Information Services Department responded that the transcript released was not a "verbatim". By early 5 July, there had been at least 66 arrests and first formal charges laid in connection with the incident.

After the protest, demonstrators and legislators condemned the Hong Kong police for deliberately allowing protesters to ram the glass doors and windows of the LegCo in front of cameras and television crews for hours, without any arrests or clearance. A journalist with The New York Times remarked on the "notable [and] ominous" absence of the police and questioned the lack of action to prevent the legislature from being stormed, asserting that the police force "no longer sees its purpose as maintaining public order and is, instead, carrying out the government's political agenda." The police explained that their decision to retreat was after "considering a number of factors." However, observers have asserted it was to manipulate public opinion and blame protesters in an attempt to seize the moral high ground.

Media including CNN and The Guardian noted that the messages protesters sprayed on the wall or displayed using banners, in particular, the phrase "If we burn, you burn with us!" from Suzanne Collins' novel Mockingjay and its film adaptation, encapsulated protesters' desperation and reflected their pessimism and hardened stance, which was a stark contrast to what happened during Umbrella Movement in 2014.^[1]

• 
  The "Black Bauhinia" flag hung by the protesters, flying at LegCo Building.
• 
  Protesters occupying Harcourt Road during the afternoon.
• 
  Hundreds of protesters near LegCo Building wearing protective helmets at night.
• 
  Protesters inside the LegCo Building at night.
• 
  The situation of the Conference Room in LegCo after the protesters left.

Admiralty Declaration

From within the occupied Legislative Council governing chambers, a new manifesto with ten points was presented, calling for greater freedom and democracy, and independence from the political influences of Beijing. Brian Leung Kai-ping, the 25-year-old student activist who presented this declaration, said afterward: "As police were drawing closer and closer, after some deliberation, most decided to end the siege. I volunteered to be in front of the camera to read out the key demands of protesters in the chamber. The last thing I wished to see ... was to have no clear demands put on the table." Risking arrest, he removed his mask to make the address, saying later that "Hongkongers have nothing left to lose. Hongkongers cannot [afford to] lose any more."

5 July mothers' sit-in

On Friday evening, a second mother's rally occurred at Chater Garden in Central. According to organisers, about 8,000 were in attendance, while police cited 1300 in attendance The gathering of mothers and allies shared solidarity with young protestors and condemned the government for being indifferent to Hong Kong people's demands. One mother vowed, "If they don't release the young people, we will keep standing out."

7 July Tsim Sha Tsui march

Daytime rally

Tens of thousands of protesters in Nathan Road on 7 July.

The first anti-extradition bill protest in the Kowloon side of Hong Kong was held on 7 July in Tsim Sha Tsui. Before the march, organisers had promised that it would be a peaceful rally.

The rally started from Salisbury Garden at 3:30 pm, heading to the West Kowloon MTR station. The march ended at around 7 pm. The march was then officially called to an end at 7:30 pm. The organiser claimed more than 230,000 marchers, while police estimated around 56,000 only.

Protesters arriving at the destination of the march, the West Kowloon station.

Protesters marched along Nathan Road and Canton Road, which mainland tourists frequent because of the presence of a long string of luxury stores. The protest was aimed at giving a good impression to these visitors, hoping to raise their awareness of the issues and support for their cause. Hard copy booklets about the extradition bill in Simplified Chinese were distributed to mainland tourists, to bypass mainland web censorship. About 200 protestors assembled near the ferry terminal by the China Hong Kong City Centre, chanting in Mandarin and urging the shoppers to join the demonstration.

As a precaution, water barricades had been also set up by the police, with checkpoints to confirm the passengers' identities; the MTR Corporation had stopped selling tickets for journeys during noon-time. Protesters and residents condemned the action, complaining it unnecessary and unreasonable. This is the largest protest in Hong Kong solely mobilised by netizens and in Kowloon area so far.

Night-time clashes

After the end of the march at 7:30 pm, around 300 protesters left the station and headed to Canton Road again. They proceeded up Nathan Road and arrived at Mong Kok to find police amassed on Shantung Street, where there was a stand-off for around 20 minutes. Riot police, most of them refusing to display an identification number or warrant card arrived, assaulting protestors and journalists alike. By the end of the night, at least six arrests were made. The following day, lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting requested an independent investigation of police conduct, called for a review of video that may show the use of excessive force, and stated that failure to have warrant cards visibly displayed may be a violation of the law.

10 July subsequent protests

On 10 July, two rival protests were held outside Wan Chai Police Headquarters. Around a dozen protesters from the pro-democracy Labour Party called on the police to launch a criminal investigation. The protesters presented as evidence five pieces of video footage purportedly showing officers assaulting demonstrators even after they had been pinned down. However, they were referred to the force's internal investigation unit – the Complaints Against Police Office. Around a dozen protesters from the pro-establishment Anti-black money, anti-Hong Kong independence concern group filed a police report claiming that pro-democracy lawmakers: Jeremy Tam, Au Nok-hin and Roy Kwong were involved in the violent night clashes.

10 July Yau Tong's Lennon Wall tension

See also: Lennon Wall (Hong Kong) § June to July 2019

On 10 July, a few youngsters constructed a makeshift Lennon Wall on a pillar outside the Yau Tong MTR exit. They were soon surrounded and intimidated by tens of mostly middle-aged pro-government residents who were suspected of being off-duty policemen from nearby Yau Mei Court, which contains a "disciplined staff quarters" for police.

The crowds built up at night, growing into the hundreds. Numerous scuffles then broke out between a hundred pro-government residents and a much larger crowd protecting the youngsters. Hundreds of police arrived and formed a defence line on the staircase leading from the MTR exit. They were accused of not stopping the violence of the pro-government residents against the youngsters. The conflict persisted for hours and did not subside until 1 a.m. on 11 July. At least three arrests were made, including two retired police officers for common assault.

14 July Sha Tin march

Daytime rally

In the afternoon, the first anti-extradition bill protest in the New Territories side of Hong Kong was held on 14 July in Sha Tin. The rally started from Chui Tin Street Soccer Pitch near Che Kung Miu at 3:10 pm, passing Hong Kong Heritage Museum, heading to the Sha Tin station Bus Terminus. Protesters chanted "all five demands must be fulfilled" and "Hong Kong police break laws." The first batch of protesters arrived at the destination at around 4:45 pm, and the march ended officially at 7:15 pm. The organiser claimed more than 115,000 marchers, while police estimated around 28,000.

Evening clashes

After the march, protesters moved to the streets near Sha Tin Jockey Club Swimming Pool. They set up barricades and threw objects including traffic cones and bottles at police at about 5 pm. Shortly afterwards, around 20 officers responded with pepper-spray. During the stand-off, nearby residents tossed down necessities, including water bottles, umbrellas and cling wrap, to support the protesters. At 6 pm, dozens of officers moved closer to the protesters but kept a distance, while warning the crowd to leave with a loudspeaker. Tension rose when a police officer attempted to remove the mask worn by a protester without showing his warrant card.

As the authorisation according to the Letter of No Objection had expired, protesters moved to the nearby shopping mall, New Town Plaza. At 8:55 pm, police warned the crowd that those who did not leave they would face arrest. Ten minutes later, police raised the red warning flag. At 10 pm, police started using pepper spray on some protesters in the plaza.

While protesters were trying to leave via MTR, riot police blocked the entrance of the train station from inside the mall. Meanwhile, another group of riot police followed behind protesters as they proceeded to the station engaging in a tactic called "kettling – thereby unnecessarily trapping demonstrators" – which sparked reactions from cornered protesters. At the same time, MTR Corporation announced that trains would bypass Sha Tin station. Both protesters and bystanders were trapped inside the plaza until the police started letting people enter the railway station later that night. Fearing that other protesters would not being able to leave, some individuals stopped the train's doors from closing to ensure that all protesters could evacuate. After some chaos, at around 11 pm, MTR announced that the service would gradually resume. Protesters then started to leave via MTR and the police started to disperse.

Lawmaker Jeremy Tam questioned the need for the police to block the entrance to the train station and bring about conflict which could have been avoided. Pro-democracy lawmaker Au Nok-hin, who was there that night, also asked why demonstrators were given no pathway to leave, and called the policing tactics "rubbish." Pro-Beijing lawmakers, on the other hand, claimed demonstrators were perpetrating "organised violent acts" and stated that "no one should insult the police [or] damage their morale." Chief Executive Carrie Lam stated that police "exercised restraint when they were being attacked by those whom I describe as 'rioters'." By the end of the night, at least 22 people had been hospitalised, several in critical and serious condition; and at least 40 arrests had been made.

• 
  Tens of thousands marched in Sha Tin Town Centre near New Town Plaza on 14 July.
• 
  Protesters barricading a section of the roads
• 
  Stand-off between protesters and police near Sha Tin Jockey Club Swimming Pool. Night of 14 July.

15 and 16 July accountability protests

Following the Sunday night clashes with police at New Town Plaza, on Monday evening about 100 demonstrators and local residents gathered at the mall to petition property owners about their responsibility and participation in the previous night's events. Activists surrounded the customer service desk to demand answers from Sun Hung Kai Properties. On Tuesday, several hundred people turned up again and demanded answers, accusing property owners of assisting police in the raid that led to numerous hospitalisations and arrests. Protesters chanted "shame on Sun Hung Kai for selling out Hongkongers"; many also walked through the mall and created Lennon Walls with post-it note messages containing their grievances. In a Facebook post, mall management denied involvement, saying they had not invited police onto the premises.

15 July hunger strikers' march

On the evening of 15 July, a dozen hunger strikers (many of whom have been on strike for over 12 days), along with 2,400 protesters marched from Admiralty Centre to the Chief Executive's official residence – Government House. They called for the protesters' five demands to be answered and requested dialogue with Carrie Lam. While waiting for an audience with Lam, demonstrators created a post-it note Lennon Wall along the Government House complex walls. After waiting for over an hour, democracy activists left by about 11 pm, and marched back to Admiralty Centre. Carrie Lam did not make an appearance.

17 July elderly march

Elderly marching on 17 July in support to the youths in the anti-extradition bill protests.

A group of seniors, dressed in white, marched from Chater Garden to the Central Government Complex on 17 July 2019. Organisers estimated that 9,000 had participated, while police put the figure as 1,500. During the "silver-hair" rally organised by Chu Yiu-ming, participants showed their support for the frontline youths. They reiterated the five key demands of the democracy movement and hoped the march would clear the stereotype that all senior citizens held pro-establishment views. Reverend Chu Yiu-ming called on Carrie Lam to "repent" and urged compassion, asking her to stop dividing society by criminalising young protesters. Demonstrators carried massive banners and smaller homemade placards, one of which said 'Children, daddy is out', and upon reaching government buildings wrote demands onto yellow ribbons and tied them to a metal fence. Actress Deanie Ip also attended, holding a banner that said "Support youth to protect Hong Kong."

21 July march

Social workers silent march

Five social workers associations in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong Social Workers' General Union, staged a silent march on 21 July. The protesters condemned Carrie Lam for ignoring people's demands and shifting the responsibility to resolve social conflicts to counsellors, social workers, and non-governmental organisations. According to organisers, about 4,000 were in attendance, while police cited 1500 in attendance.

CHRF march

The CHRF announced that the police had approved a march on Sunday, 21 July, from Admiralty to the Court of Final Appeal, despite earlier requests by the police to delay the march till August. The police, fearing the risk of increased violence, stipulated in its letter of no objection that the march would avoid Admiralty and end at Luard Road in Wan Chai, and must end no later than midnight on the basis of public safety and public order – conditions more stringent than those placed on previous marches. The CHRF claimed that 430,000 people attended the protest, while the police put the figure at 138,000.

Some protesters advanced beyond the police-mandated endpoint for the protest and marched to the Court of Final Appeal, the intended destination, and to Sheung Wan as the police began to retreat. Major roads and thoroughfares in Admiralty and Central were occupied by protesters, and the water barriers surrounding the Police HQ were turned into a Lennon Wall. Some protesters surrounded the Hong Kong Liaison Office in Sai Ying Pun, threw eggs and black ink at the building, and defaced the Chinese national emblem outside the Office. Another group of demonstrators vandalised the Central Police Station. Scuffles broke out next to Shun Tak Centre. Protesters threw bottles at the police while the police used five rounds of rubber bullets and 55 canisters of tear gas and 24 sponge grenades to disperse the protesters. The government condemned the protesters for besieging the Liaison Office.

• 
  The CHRF march in the afternoon.
• 
  Post-it stickers on the water barricades set up by the police.
• 
  The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government after the protest, vandalised with a derogatory term against China.
• 
  Tear smoke in Connaught Road Central
• 
  Protesters burned some items during the stand-off.

Yuen Long pro-Beijing attacks

Main article: 2019 Yuen Long violence

In the evening, as scuffles in Sheung Wan were taking place, men wearing white shirts and armed with iron bars and wooden clubs gathered in Yuen Long, a town in the New Territories. At around 10 pm, they started indiscriminately attacking people and damaging cars on the street. They were reportedly targeting those wearing black, the dress code for the democracy rally on Hong Kong Island, but also made attacks on journalists and bystanders, including a woman holding a child and a pregnant woman.

Soon afterwards, about a hundred white-shirted men, mostly wearing masks, appeared at Yuen Long railway station and indiscriminately attacked people in the concourse, on the platform and inside train compartments. Two police officers who arrived at 10:52 pm left the station as they judged that they were in need of back-up. Thirty police officers arrived at the station at 11:20 pm, but the assailants had left. However, white-shirted assailants returned after midnight to launch a second wave of attacks on passengers; no police officers were present at the scene. Among the injured were Legislative Council member Lam Cheuk-ting and two reporters; another journalist's equipment was also smashed. At least 45 citizens were hospitalised, including three in a serious condition and one in a critical condition. In a statement shortly after midnight, the Hong Kong government condemned both the white-shirted attackers and protesters for their confrontations and injuries despite repeated warnings by police.

The local police call centre was overwhelmed by a flood of calls between 10 pm and midnight. According to The Washington Post as many as 24,000 emergency calls were placed regarding the incidents that night. Yoho Mall, the shopping mall next to Yuen Long station had also apparently failed to reach the police. The hundreds that turned up at a police station near Yuen Long to report the incident found the door shuttered. Overnight, the police confronted the mobsters in Nam Pin Wai Village and confiscated several steel bars, though no arrest was made due to the lack of evidence. Following these incidents, various news media published video documentaries detailing the timeline of the attacks. The tactic of using gangsters to silence protest is well known in mainland China, where local authorities hire thugs to deal with both petitioners and residents unwilling to leave their homes.

The delayed police response to reports of violence was heavily criticised by activists and legislators. Officials blamed the delay on staffing constraints due to protests elsewhere while Legislator Eddie Chu said there was "clear collusion between police and the gangs." Police officials denied the allegations and Chief Executive Carrie Lam said accusations of co-operation with gangsters were "groundless" and "insulting". These attacks appear to repeat the pattern of Triad attacks seen during the 2014 Umbrella Movement, when there was also a lack of timely police response.

On the following day, 30 protesters demonstrated at Yuen Long police station to condemn the attacks and the delayed police response, the alleged collusion between police and triad gangs. Hundreds of social workers then marched to the same police station to report the violence. Legislator Junius Ho's alleged involvement in the attacks prompted protesters to trash his office in Tsuen Wan.

26 July airport sit-in

The sit-in protest in the arrival hall of the Hong Kong International Airport on 26 July.

A sit-in, organised in the arrival hall of Hong Kong International Airport by airline industry workers, airport staff, and the Cathay Pacific Flight Attendants' Union, aimed to engage with arriving tourists and raise awareness about the on-going democracy movement. Before the sit-in, the Airport Authority removed some seats to provide more space to the protesters, and marked out areas where loitering was not allowed. Additional security and staff were deployed.

Thousands of protesters gathered in the arrival halls of Terminal 1. Dressed in black, they handed out leaflets and pamphlets to tourists in several languages, including Japanese and simplified Chinese, while chanting "Welcome to Hong Kong, stay safe" and "free Hong Kong." A television monitor showed police action toward protesters in previous demonstrations, and the Yuen Long violence. A Lennon Wall allowed protesters to leave their own supportive messages. A petition collected more than 14,000 signatures from aviation workers, tourists and residents, demanding police arrest those who participated in the Yuen Long violence and asking for an independent inquiry into the allegedly excessive force used by police.

28 July protest

Protesters in Chater Garden on 28 July.

The day before protests, police approved a sit-in at Chater Garden, a public park in Central, but banned the demonstration to be held in Sheung Wan. On 28 July, tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the park and marched on the streets towards Causeway Bay and Sai Wan in defiance of police restrictions. They chanted in Cantonese: "Hong Kong police, knowingly break the law" (Chinese: 香港警察，知法犯法) and "Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times" (Chinese: 光復香港，時代革命).

Police firing tear gas to protesters in Sheung Wan on 28 July.

Protesters arrived at Hennessy Road, outside Sogo Hong Kong, and constructed barricades. At the same time, a smaller group of about 200 protesters headed west towards the Liaison Office of the Central Government. Police and riot-police arrived shortly after, warning protesters of "unlawful assembly."

At night, the stand-off evolved into violent clashes. Police fired numerous rounds of tear gas, rubber bullets, sponge grenades and pepper spray to disperse protesters. Police stated that protesters removed railings from streets, threw bricks, set fire to items, pushed a metal cart with papers on fire, and used a Y-shaped catapult to shoot metal balls at police. At least 16 people were injured and 49 were arrested for rioting and possessing offensive weapons.

30 and 31 July solidarity rallies

Protesters outside Kwai Chung Police Station on 30 July.

Policeman with a shotgun, loaded with beanbag rounds.

On 30 July hundreds of protesters gathered outside of the Kwai Chung Police Station after news spread that a majority of the 49 people arrested during confrontations with police on Sunday at Sheung Wan would be charged with rioting – an offence punishable by ten years in prison. Police used pepper spray and batons to disperse the crowd. One police officer who had been surrounded was seen pointing a gun loaded with beanbag rounds at protesters. Police said that the officer was "protect[ing] his life and personal safety".

Similar solidarity protests occurred that night at Tin Shui Wai police station, where hundreds had gathered to support two young people who were arrested during an altercation at a Lennon Wall. During the demonstration, fireworks were launched out of a moving vehicle into the assembled crowd. At least 10 were injured in the attack. No arrests were made.

On 31 July demonstrators gathered at the Eastern District Court to support the 44 people due to face rioting charges. Amnesty International released a statement, calling the definitions of illegal assembly and rioting under Hong Kong law "so broad they fall far short of international standards" and further stated that "individuals facing these sweeping charges would [not] have a fair chance of defending themselves at trial." A group of local prosecutors also released a public letter, asserting that the decision to prosecute was politically motivated because it failed the two criteria of whether there was adequate evidence and a reasonable prospect of conviction, or whether it was in line with public interest.

Events: August

1 and 3 August rallies

Members of Hong Kong's financial sector with their umbrella and flashlights in the flash mob rally on 1 August.

Financial sector

On the night of 1 August, hundreds of staff from about 80 different financial institutions participated in a flash mob rally at Chater Garden in Admiralty. Protesters were also concerned about incidents of alleged police collusion with triad gangsters and demanded respect for rule of law. At least 700 financial sector workers have posted images of staff cards in support of the upcoming 5 August city-wide general strike. The organiser stated 4,300 attended the flash-mob.

Medical sector

Medical professionals in the rally on 2 August, with the banner "Condemn police obstructing rescue operation" in Chinese.

On the evening of 2 August, medical professionals held a rally at Edinburgh Place, Central. President of the Hong Kong Public Doctors' Association spoke critically of arrests being made inside hospitals while people are seeking treatment, and also spoke out about excessive use of tear gas by police against democracy activists. Organisers estimated 10,000 medical professionals attended the rally.

This was the third medical sector protest in a week. About 1,500 health care specialists had previously assembled at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei to raise concerns about the coordinated attacks of 21 July that occurred in Yuen Long MTR station. Medical students and graduates also held an assembly in the Chinese University of Hong Kong on July 26. About 1000 people joined the assembly according to the organisers.

Civil servants

civil servant rally on 2 August.

Former chief secretary Anson Chan on the stage in the civil servant rally on 2 August.

Shortly after the medical sector rally began at Edinburgh Place, another rally had also started in Chater Garden held by thousands of civil servants. By 6:45 pm the park was already overflowing with people, prompting police to close nearby Chater Road to traffic. Former chief secretary Anson Chan and former Secretary for the Civil Service Joseph Wong both urged an independent inquiry into police misconduct and defended freedom of expression, questioning the validity of Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung's warning about the risks of joining the rally and "breaching the principle of political neutrality." Wong stated, "The first line [of the civil service code], which I wrote, is to safeguard the rule of law. Rule of law is higher than our loyalty to any official, any chief executive. No one is above it."

Musician and activist Denise Ho also spoke at the rally, and encouraged broad participation at the upcoming 5 August general strike. Ho said that there was safety in numbers, and that the government is more likely to respond to continuous pressure and indefinite strike actions. While police estimated attendance of 13,000, the organiser claimed 40,000 civil servants participated at the rally.

3 August protests

A planned and approved march started from Anchor Street Playground at 3:30pm. Protesters in the front of the rally held a banner that read "Police have too much power" (Chinese: 警權過大); a popular slogan for the day was "Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our time". Marchers urged people to join in the general strike on 5 August. The front of the rally arrived at Cherry Street park at 5 pm, but some protesters did not follow the designated route, and headed directly to Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui instead; other protesters first arrived at the park and then followed on to Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui.

Flash mob protest at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel on 3 August.

At around 6:30 pm, protesters moved barricades into the toll plaza of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel in Hung Hom, blocking vehicles and then disappeared. Around 9:30 pm, riot police fired tear gas on protesters in both Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok. Several arrests were made. A small group of protesters also removed the Chinese flag near the Star Ferry pier in Tsim Sha Tsui and threw it into Victoria Harbour.

After having received multiple shots of tear gas, protesters moved to the police station at Wong Tai Sin, then left via MTR. Riot police followed and arrested several alleged protesters in the Wong Tai Sin Station. However, the presence of riot police officers angered nearby residents, who requested police to release those arrested and leave the district. They threw umbrellas and set off fire extinguishers. Shortly after, police officers fired tear gas at residents to disperse the crowd, which then went to protest at the nearby police station and Disciplined Services quarters. Dormitory residents showered residents and protesters with sticks, glass bottles and firecrackers from the building. After multiple shots of tear gas, protesters retreated and occupied Lung Cheung Road, then dispersed after.

At the same time, multiple protesters surrounded Mong Kok Police Station. Riot police also arrived shortly and arrested protesters. Some of those arrested stated that they were only passers-by or local residents, and not protesters. Two foreign nationals, a Filipino and a South Korean, were arrested by authorities who suspects their involvement in the protest. The Filipino was Hong Kong Disneyland employee who was wearing black at the time of his arrest and the South Korean a restaurant worker. This is believed to be the first arrests of expatriates since the escalation of the protest in June.

Protesters in Causeway Bay on 4 August.

4 August protests

The demonstrations on 4 August began with a permitted march in Tseung Kwan O, starting from Po Tsui Park at 2 pm, with organizers stating around 150,000 protesters in attendance. During the rally, protesters threw bricks towards the police station breaking windows. They chanted "Hong Kong police knowingly break the law" and "Shame on the corrupt police". Police officers then appeared with police dogs and protesters dispersed. At night, the crowds occupied Po Shun Road. Riot police arrived to disperse crowds, and they unreasonably attacked a passer-by.

Another rally appeared in Kennedy Town after the Tseung Kwan O rally. By the evening, protesters defied the police ban and marched towards Sheung Wan. However, by about 7 pm police deployed tear gas canisters and routed the group to Causeway Bay, where thousands of protesters setup blockades and occupied areas of the shopping district. Then again by 10 pm riot police attempted to clear the streets with the use of tear gas.

Near the end of the Kennedy Town protest, some protesters went and blocked the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and a small group of protesters sprayed graffiti on the sculpture at the Golden Bauhinia Square. At the same time, a group of protesters gathered at Wong Tai Sin police station, protesting their way of force to the residents in the 3 August protest. Fearing that the police may deploy heavy force following August 3 scuffles, some protesters opted to occupy sections in Ngau Tau Kok and Kwun Tong. At night, various protests and police operations were done in Mei Foo, Wong Tai Sin, Tin Shui Wai, Ma On Shan, and Lam Tin. Eastern Harbour Crossing and Tseung Kwan O Tunnel were temporarily blocked during the protests.

5 August general strike

There was a city-wide general strike on 5 August, with protests and sit-ins in different districts. The Cross-Harbour Tunnel was affected by street blockades, major roadways were obstructed and train lines stalled, as thousands of workers across 20 different sectors participated, putting pressure on the government to meet protesters demands. At least seven major rallies and organizing assemblies were held throughout areas of Hong Kong. The main rallies took place in Tamar Park in Admiralty, Sha Tin Town Hall, Tuen Mun Park, Discovery Park in Tsuen Wan, Wong Tai Sin Square, MacPherson Playground in Mong Kok and Tin Hau Temple Fung Shui Square in Tai Po.

Workers from various industries as well as several trade unions had announced in advance that they would join the strike. The government of Hong Kong issued a statement, urging citizens to not participate in the strike as it would "undermine further the local economy that is facing downside risks." Employees at Hong Kong Disneyland announced work stoppages. Many air traffic controllers called in sick, and over 200 flights were cancelled while only one of the airport runways was operational.

Carrie Lam held a press conference at 10 am, condemning those who joined the strike, and stated that they are "destroying Hong Kong". She continued to support the police force and rejected the five demands by protesters. Pro-Beijing legislator Ann Chiang voiced her disappointment towards Lam's speech with a Facebook post, stating that Lam had raised many issues but offered no solutions. Meanwhile, the Hang Seng Index started to drop during Lam's conference and fell 2.9% by the midday break.

In the evening, protesters near the North Point neighborhood and Tsuen Wan were attacked by two groups of stick wielding men, some wearing white shirts and another group in professionally printed blue shirts. The scuffles were brief but unexpected, and similar in nature to the 21 July Yuen Long attacks. However, unlike the Yuen Long attacks, protesters fought back. Later in the night several police stations were blockaded by protesters and vandalised. Police arrested 148 people by the end of the day. To disperse the protesters, the police force used more than 800 canisters of tear gas, a record number for Hong Kong, in 14 out of 18 districts in Hong Kong. As the police used tear gas in close proximity to many densely populated residential areas, many residents, children, and pets were affected.

On 6 August, Chairwoman Carol Ng of the Confederation of Trade Unions stated: "If there is still no proper response from the government ... I presume it is possible to have another strike." The HKCTU helped to organise the 5 August general strike. They estimate 350,000 people had joined the strike. About 290,000 attended protests and rallies city-wide, while the remainder stayed home and away from work that day.

• 
  Flights cancelled by Cathay Pacific shown in a notice board in Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
• 
  A restaurant in Wah Fu Estate participated the general strike.
• 
  Protesters inside New Town Plaza, one of the seven locations for the main rallies on August 5.
• 
  Strikers near the Sogo Department Store on Yee Wo Street. Closed in solidarity with the general strike action.
• 
  Police firing tear gas to disperse protesters near Central Government Complex.

7 August lawyers' silent march

Thousands of lawyers marched in black against the selective prosecution by the Secretary for Justice on 7 August 2019.

A silent march by lawyers was staged on 7 August, the second one since 6 June. Around 3,000 legal sector professionals, in black, marched in silence from the Court of Final Appeal in Central to the Department of Justice’s office at around 12:45pm.

The group of protesters stated that Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng frequently departed from usual procedures and well-established guidelines, and accused Cheng of bias in selecting prosecution cases. They quoted the difference in prosecuting the arrest of anti-extradition bill protesters as "rioting", versus prosecuting the arrests in the Yuen Long incident as "unlawful assembly." Furthermore, the rioting charges against the anti-extradition bill protesters were fast-tracked ahead of prosecution of the perpetrators of the Yuen Long violence, which occurred weeks before the protesters were arrested. Barrister Kevin Yam stated "All we want is justice, all we want is consistency, we don’t want to see thugs get away while the best of our youth get prosecuted." They believed that this was the latest evidence of a decline of the rule of law.

Campaigners voiced concern over the use of excessive force and asked for an independent commission of inquiry. Teresa Cheng refused to meet the lawyers when they arrived at her office.

8 August Catholics march

On Thursday night, around 1200 Catholics held a candlelight march through Central before finishing outside the Court of Final Appeal. The march organised by four Christian organisations, called for the government to heed to the protesters demands and called for both sides to exercise restraint, stop the violence and sit down to reach an agreement to help society move forward.

9-11 August airport sit-ins

A second airport sit-in was held in the Hong Kong International Airport, which continued for three consecutive days. Protesters hoped to gain international support by having a "warm welcome." Unlike previous sit-ins, this demonstration was not approved by the Airport Authority. Extra security measures were put in place, with authorities preventing anyone without a boarding pass from entering the check-in area.

Thousands gathered in both Terminal 1 and 2 by 6 pm. Dressed in black, democracy activists handed out leaflets and pamphlets to tourists in several languages, including English, Ukrainian, Spanish, and German. A large banner reading "Liberate HK" was also unfurled from the second floor balcony. Demonstrators chanted and sang Do You Hear the People Sing?

Due to the protests, all flights in and out of the airport were cancelled since Monday (12 August). The protests was said to have disrupted as a result of the public assembly at the airport.

10 August protests

Two generally peaceful protests occurred on Hong Kong Island. Early in the morning, hundreds of senior citizens marched from Wan Chai police HQ to Chief Executive’s Office and handed out petition letters requesting the police to "lay down their offensive weapons". The protest was followed by a family rally named "Guard our children’s future" in Edinburgh Place. Hundreds of parents showed up with their kids to demand the government to respond to the demands of the protesters. The parents then marched to the Government HQ and displayed banners drawn by children and balloons.

Less than a thousand protesters protested in Tai Po in the afternoon despite a police ban on the protest. Protesters gathered in Tai Po bus station and marched past the original destination, Kwong Fuk Road Football Ground. It was generally peaceful. Protesters chanted slogans including "liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" and "our five demands must all be fulfilled", and yelled "rubbish" and "triad" at the police. Around 6 pm, as the protesters were surrounded by the police, they moved to Tai Wai and New Town Plaza in Sha Tin and obstructed various locations, though protesters in Tai Wai dispersed after the police used tear gas.

The protesters then moved to different districts in Hong Kong, including Kowloon Bay, Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan, and Wong Tai Sin, but they dispersed before the riot police began to advance. The Cross-Harbour Tunnel was blocked temporarily. In Tsim Sha Tsui, tension rose when a police officer arrested a bystander. Protesters besieged the police station, and the police used tear gas to disperse the protesters.

11 August protests

Kowloon and New Territories protests

Despite a police ban on the protest, thousands marched in the Sham Shui Po region at 2 pm. Demonstrators marched from Maple Street Playground, set up roadblocks on Yam Chow Street, Cheung Sha Wan Road and besieged the Sham Shui Po Police Station. At 5 pm, the police dispersed protesters using tear gas, though some tear gas canisters landed on a pedestrian footbridge nearby, affecting both journalists and residents. Democracy activists moved on and besieged the police station in Tsim Sha Tsui. The police set up a defense line near the Lane Shopper’s Boulevard district and fired bean bag rounds that ruptured the right eye of a female first-aid worker.

At 8 pm, protesters moved to Kwai Chung and besieged the Kwai Chung police station. Riot police dispersed the protesters. Demonstrators fled to Kwai Fong station and television footage showed police had fired tear gas and several rounds of rubber bullets from inside the station. Some protesters retreated to Mei Foo station and set up roadblocks on Kwai Chung Road, while another group besieged the police station again. Traces of irritant smoke were still found inside Kwai Fong station the following day. MTR Corporation, responding to the incident, said that it was "very regretful" and urged the police force to consider the safety of its staff and commuters during law enforcement actions.

Hong Kong Island protests

An approved gathering was held in Victoria Park at 1 pm, though the police issued a Letter of Rejection to a protest that was to be held in the Eastern District. However, some protesters occupied major roads and intersections near the Sogo Hong Kong department store in Causeway Bay, while some moved along to Wan Chai, where a molotov cocktail was thrown during clashes with police. Red banners were seen posted throughout the North Point region, calling for Fujianese residents to defend their neighborhood. Protesters had largely avoided marching to North Point, where democracy activists were previously assaulted by stick-wielding men, allegedly the local Fujianese residents, during the 5 August general strike. However, tensions rose in the region when locals dressed in red attacked two journalists and two other people.

In Causeway Bay, several people disguised as protesters were seen and caught on video tackling and arresting other protesters with the help of the police force at 10 pm. Around ten men dressed as protesters were seen and caught on video passing from under a staircase at a tramstop guarded by the police. This led to allegations that the police used undercover officers to infiltrate into the demonstration. When journalists approached one of these men, he refused to show his warrant card and told the press to "put down the camera." During a police press conference on 12 August, Deputy Police Commissioner Tang Ping-Keung defended the use of disguised "decoy officers" and stated: "I can say that during the time when our police officers were disguised ... they [did not] provoke anything. We won't ask them to stir up trouble." According to one eyewitness, one of these men threw a molotov cocktail. The violent arrest of a young man was filmed - he was pressed by more than one undercover police officer to the concrete road with so much force on his head that he lost at least one front tooth. The protester is not seen to have been resisting arrest and is heard apologising in the video, begging for mercy, and yet the police rubbed his face on the rough concrete road, leaving him with a blood-covered face. The arrest of another protester, during which a police officer was found putting a stick inside his backpack, was filmed. The police force was accused of planting evidence to frame the protester. The method defended the tactic, saying that the protester had held the stick before he was arrested.

Some protesters then moved to Quarry Bay Station and a brief standoff with police followed. The Special Tactical Unit then chased democracy activists down an escalator in Tai Koo Station and fired guns with pepper ball rounds, targeting protesters within a very close range and aiming directly at their heads. Police officers were also filmed by journalists and seen using their batons to beat fleeing protesters. The Civil Rights Observer organisation condemned police actions due excessive use of force and the possibility of causing a stampede.

Further conflicts occurred when protesters besieged the Sha Tin police station. Disgruntled by aggressive policing strategies and excessive use of force, residents in Sha Tin, Quarry Bay, Sai Wan Ho, Taikoo Shing, and Whampoa Garden gathered to drive off the police away from their neighborhoods and homes. In Tsuen Wan, pedestrians were assaulted by men wearing white shirts.

By the end of the night, police had made dozens of arrests following the numerous flash-mob style police station blockades and in the many clashes during city-wide street protests that day. The escalation in arrests and new more assertive police tactics come within days of the Hong Kong Police Force bringing back from retirement Alan Lau Yip-shing, a former top officer who oversaw police strategy during the Umbrella Movement and Mong Kok Fishball Revolution. On 8 August, Lau was appointed deputy commissioner on special duty for a period of six months. Beginning on 9 August, Lau met with all top brass to discuss strategy and was charged with assisting the police commissioner to "enhance strategic command and oversee [large-scale] public order events."

The Hospital Authority reported that due to the events of 11 August, as many as 54 people were being treated for injuries, with two in serious condition.

12-14 August police brutality protests

The events of 11 August had sparked controversy, as several protesters were seriously injured by police actions that day. A demonstration against police brutality was organised in response and held at the Hong Kong International Airport on 12 August. Sit-ins and roving protests began by 1 pm, as thousands of people turned up to speak out about police violence. Many held signs and chanted slogans such as "police go back to China", while some protesters organised mobile "Lennon Wall" on their bodies during the protests. Due to the large amount of protesters going to the airport, the traffic to the airport was congested. At around 3 pm, the thousands of protesters had exceeded the capacity of the two main arrival halls, and the overflow of incoming protesters then congregated in the departure halls. As many as 5,000 democracy activists may have been involved in the demonstrations. By 4 pm, the Airport Authority announced that all other flights had been cancelled for the rest of the day, except for departure flights that had completed the check-in process, and the arrival flights already heading to Hong Kong. At the same time, there were rumours and news about the arrival of riot police and the clearance of the airport. Most protesters then left, while some stayed with the remaining travellers who were stuck in the airport.

On 13 August, protesters demonstrated again at Hong Kong International Airport as the airport reopened following the airport’s closure from the day prior. Protesters had used luggage trolleys as physical defense for themselves during Tuesday’s protest at the airport. Passengers struggled to get through the airport as protesters had blocked the path to the gating area. As a result of the continued protests, at 4:30 pm, Hong Kong airport officials announced that check-ins were suspended for the remainder of the day at least.

On the same day, protesters cornered a man suspected of being a mainland security officer. The man was severely beaten, and was taken away a few hours later by the police. Shortly afterward, another man with a press vest was questioned by protesters about whether he was truly a reporter. He was seen taking photos of protesters' faces and told protesters he is actually a "traveller". Protesters gathered around him and requested him to show his press passes, though he refused. Protesters then discovered a blue T-shirt with the words "I Love Hong Kong Police", which was identical to the shirts attackers wore in an attack before. His Chinese passport, identity card, and diary were also taken. Protesters tied him up and he was then taken away by first-aiders. He was later identified as Fu Guohao, a Global Times journalist. The violence against Fu Guohao has been condemned by the Program Director of Committee to Protect Journalists, Carlos Martinez de la Serna, who stated that "Journalists from all outlets must be allowed to cover the demonstrations in Hong Kong without having to fear for their safety." HKJA also condemned the violence and urged reporters from Chinese media outlets to display their credentials clearly to avoid similar incidents from happening again.

On August 14, the court has issued an interim injunction to restrict the protests inside the airport. Some continued to protest but they stayed inside the areas allowed by the Airport Authority.

12-14 August hospital staff protests

On 12 August, about 100 medical professionals at the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan demonstrated against abuses of power by police during the recent protests, in which one woman was struck in the eye by an allegedly police projectile and seriously wounded. Medical staff held a banner that read "Hong Kong police attempt to murder Hong Kong citizens." A similar protest by medical staff was held that same day at Princess Margaret Hospital in Lai Chi Kok.

Another demonstration was held on 13 August, by health care workers in at least 7 public hospitals, including Prince of Wales Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Queen Mary Hospital, and Tuen Mun Hospital. Demonstrators wore black in solidarity with the on-going democracy movement. Demonstrators covered their right eyes with gauze to support the female protester whose right eye was shot by the police. A doctor at the Tuen Mun Hospital protest stated that these solidarity rallies were a "direct response" to the shooting of that woman on 11 August. These protests were held during lunch breaks and hospital operations were not affected.

On August 14, hospital staffs from Ruttonjee Hospital and Tang Shiu Kin Hospital joined the protest. A total of 15 public hospitals have held protests since the August 11 incident. On the same day, people wearing red T-shirts harassed the medical staffs at Princess Margaret Hospital, where the injured journalist Fu Guohao was hospitalized.

Also on 12 August, a group of front-line medical workers called for an indefinite strike, requesting that the government respond to the five demands of the protest movement. A total of 15 public hospitals have held protests since the August 11 incident.

Worldwide solidarity protests

On 9 June, at least 29 rallies were held in 12 countries with protesters taking to the streets in cities around the world with significant Hong Kong diaspora, including about 4,000 in London, about 3,000 in Sydney and further rallies in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Toronto, Vancouver, Berlin, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Perth, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane and Taipei. In one of the biggest overseas protests, hundreds of demonstrators made of mostly Hong Kong immigrants filled the streets outside the Chinese consulate-general in Vancouver with yellow umbrellas, referencing the 2014 Occupy protests, and chanted against the extradition law. More than 60 people gathered outside the White House in Washington to protest against the bill.

On 12 June, representatives from 24 Taiwanese civic groups, including Taiwan Association for Human Rights, protested outside Hong Kong's representative office in Taipei, whilst shouting slogans such as "Taiwan supports Hong Kong." In Kaohsiung, around 150 Hong Kong students staged a sit-in protest demanding the Hong Kong government to withdraw the bill. In Adelaide, 150 people protested against the extradition law.

On 16 June, 10,000 Hong Kong students and Taiwanese supporters held a peaceful sit-in at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei to support the protests in Hong Kong. In Auckland and Adelaide, around 500 people gathered to demand Chief Executive Lam to withdraw the bill and apologise for her actions. On 17 June, 1,500 people protested outside the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver.

On 23 June, 5,000 people held a rally in Taipei against Hong Kong's extradition bill. On 14 July a "Sing for Hong Kong" event was held in London. There was a clash between pro-democracy and pro-China supporters at the University of Queensland in Brisbane on 24 July. In response to the incident, the Chinese Consul-General in Brisbane, Xu Jie, reportedly praised Chinese students for confronting "anti-China separatist" protesters, prompting the Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne to warn foreign diplomats not to interfere in free speech and protests in Australia. This also led to more solidarity protests to occur in Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Darwin and Melbourne.

On 3 August, further solidarity protests occurred in Canadian cities of Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, Winnipeg, Halifax, Ottawa and Calgary. On 10 Aug, around 100 Hong Kongers, Tibetans, Taiwanese, Uygurs, overseas Chinese and other New York residents held a rally outside the Chinese consulate.

Suicides

Marco Leung Ling-kit atop the scaffolding at Pacific Place. He later jumped to his death. 15 June 2019

This memorial for Leung still remains near Pacific Place

Five deaths by suicide occurred during the anti-extradition bill protests. All had left suicide notes decrying the unelected and unresponsive government and the government's insistence on forcing through the extradition bill; they expressed despondency whilst urging Hongkongers to continue their fight. One even stated "What Hong Kong needs is a revolution."

The first person committed suicide on 15 June, when 35-year-old Marco Leung Ling-kit climbed the elevated podium on the rooftop of Pacific Place, a shopping mall in Admiralty at 4:30 pm. Wearing a yellow raincoat with the words "Brutal police are cold-blooded" and "Carrie Lam is killing Hong Kong" in Chinese written on the back, he hung a banner on the scaffolding with several anti-extradition slogans. After a five-hour standoff, during which police officers and Democratic Party legislator Roy Kwong attempted to talk him down, Leung fell to his death, missing an inflatable cushion set up by firefighters.

A shrine appeared at the scene soon afterward; Ai Weiwei shared the news on his Instagram feed, while Chinese satirist Badiucao honoured the dead man with a cartoon. On Thursday 11 July another vigil was held, in which thousands turned up leaving sunflowers at the memorial site. Artists in Prague have also honoured the event, and painted a memorial on the Lennon Wall in the Czech Republic, depicting a yellow raincoat along with words of well wishes.

Gathering for Lo Hiu-yan at EdUHK. 30 June 2019

A 21-year-old Education University of Hong Kong student, Lo Hiu-yan, jumped to her death from Ka Fuk Estate in Fanling on 29 June. She had left two notes written on a stairwell wall with red marker, and uploaded photos of her note to Instagram. A third suicide occurred the next day when a 29-year-old woman, Zita Wu, jumped from the International Financial Centre. On 4 July, a 28-year-old woman only identified by the surname Mak died after jumping off a building in Cheung Sha Wan. A fifth suicide occurred on 22 July, a 26-year-old man identified by the surname Fan died after jumping off the building of Cypress House, Kwong Yuen Estate after an argument with his parents about his political stance. Neighbours of Fan left flowers near the site.

Tactics and methods

Decentralised leadership

Unlike the 2014 Hong Kong protests, the democracy movement of 2019 has formed in a generally decentralised manner, and has been described as "impeccably organised" by the Los Angeles Times. The CHRF has a long history of organising social movements and was the organiser of the two massive protests on 9 and 16 June. Demosistō, led by Joshua Wong and the localist groups, called on supporters to participate in marches, rallies and other forms of direct action. However, unlike the 2014 Hong Kong protests, none of these groups have claimed leadership over this movement. Many pro-democracy legislators were present at the protests, but they largely played supporting roles. The logistics of the movement – bringing supplies, setting up medical stations, rapid mass communication – were the result of experience from previous protests. This decentralisation has led to more fluidity but has also made it difficult for officials to locate representatives for negotiations or prosecution.

On 1 July, after the protesters had forced their way into the Legislative Council, Wong said the act was intended "to show how the Legislative Council has never represented the voice of the people." He also said there would not have been any rallies or protests had the Hong Kong Legislative Council been democratically elected. However, some protesters believed that the decentralised leadership prompted protests to escalate without proper planning, as evidenced by the storming of the LegCo building.

Professor Francis Lee of the Chinese University of Hong Kong has called this new type of decentralized, leaderless movement, the “open-source” protest model. Through a process of participatory democracy activists are able to vote on tactics and brainstorm next moves in a collaborative process in which everybody has a say. Telegram chat groups and online forums with voting mechanisms have often enabled this type of flexible coordination.

Flexible and diverse tactics

Protesters are reported to have adopted Bruce Lee’s philosophy, to be "formless [and] shapeless, like water." By moving in a mobile and agile fashion to different government offices during the 21 June protests, they aimed to bring additional pressure to bear on the government. As the police began to advance, protesters will retreat to avoid being arrested, though they will often show up again later in the same district or reemerge in other places in a short period of time.

Also, the 2014 Hong Kong protests were focused on 3 locations, but in this movement, demonstrations and clashes with Hong Kong Police diversified to over 20 different neighbourhoods spread throughout Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories.

The "Do Not Split" (不割席) principle has helped maintain cohesion throughout the broad political spectrum of the struggle. Embracing a diversity of tactics has allowed participants to engage in different levels of action while respecting the roles that others play. This is in direct contrast to the 2014 Protests, where multiple protest groups wound up criticizing each other. Hong Kong political commentator Lewis Lau said, " 'Do Not Split' serves as a bridge ... by promoting mutual respect for diverging views within the protest movement." Minimisation of internal conflict is key to achieving broader goals; a common phrase that has served as a reminder is "Preserve yourself and the collective; no division." Protesters also developed a set of hand signs to aid communications.

Solidarity between protestors and engagement with the "Do Not Split" praxis was evidenced by the two mothers' sit-in demonstrations of 14 June and 5 July and the silver-haired protest on 17 July. Tens of thousands attended the rallies, in support of the protest actions of the younger generation, while standing firm together in opposition to police brutality, Carrie Lam, and the undemocratic interventionism of the mainland Chinese government.

Black bloc and group defenses

During street protests, black bloc methods have enhanced anonymity and privacy, enabling demonstrators to “be water” and function more effectively as a group. Participants in demonstrations are increasingly dressed in black, and wear hard hats and gloves. To resist police surveillance and protect against chemical weapons such as tear gas and pepper spray, face masks and goggles are also popular attire, and some have even upgraded to gas masks.

Protesters have also adopted different roles during demonstrations. Peaceful protesters chanted slogans and passed supplies, while frontliners snuffed out tear gas and led the charge. Protesters have used laser pointers to distract the police, sprayed paint on surveillance cameras, and unfurled umbrellas to protect and conceal the identities of the group in action and to avoid facial recognition. When protesters departed via MTR, they often made donation piles of extra changes of clothes for other activists, and also left money to purchase single-use tickets and avoid tracking via Octopus card.

As protests continued to escalate and the police began to use more advanced riot control tools, activists upgraded their makeshift gears from using surfboards as shields to using metal street signs, iron rods, bricks, and eggs to throw. The 2014 Ukrainian Revolution was commonly described as an inspiration for Hong Kong protesters.

Online activism

Protesters also took to the Internet to exchange information and ideas. Netizens used the popular online forum LIHKG to gain traction for protests and brainstorm ideas. These included disrupting MTR services, gathering for vigils, organising "picnics" (a term used to avoid surveillance), and making anti-extradition bill memes that appeal to conservative values so that Hong Kong elderly would better understand the anti-extradition rationale.

Protesters have been using Telegram, an encrypted messaging app, to communicate in order to conceal identities and prevent tracking by the Chinese government and Hong Kong Police Force. The app's servers were under denial-of-service attacks on 12 June. The app's founder Pavel Durov identified the origin of the attack as China, and stated that it "coincided in time with protests in Hong Kong."

Some have accused protesters of "doxxing" members of the police force: Police claimed to have found a website run by the hacktivist group Anonymous that disclosed personal data of more than 600 officers. In early July, the police arrested eight individuals in connection to the alleged doxxing. In separate incidents, police targeted activists for their involvement in Telegram chat groups: during June and July, two individuals were arrested for conspiracy, under accusations of administering chat groups, and told that investigations would continue. However, neither has been charged with a crime.

Adapted songs

A group of Christians singing "Sing Hallelujah to the Lord" near the Central Government Complex.

A 1974 Christian hymn called "Sing Hallelujah to the Lord" has become the "unofficial anthem" of the anti-extradition protests as it was heard everywhere at the protest sites. On 11 June, a group of Christians began to sing the four-line-verse simple melody at the Central Government Complex as they held a public prayer meeting through the night before the Legislative Council was as scheduled to begin the second reading the following day. On the morning of 12 June the Christians, led by pastors, stood between the crowd and police to help prevent violence and pray for Hong Kong with the hymn. Under Hong Kong's Public Order Ordinance, religious gatherings are exempt from the definition of a "gathering" or "assembly" therefore more difficult to police. The song was sung repeatedly over 10 hours throughout the night and a video of the event quickly became viral online. Hong Kong local ministries, many of whom support underground churches in China, supported the protests. Most Hong Kong churches tend to shy away from political involvement, however many are worried about the effects of the extradition bill on Christians since mainland China does not have religious freedom laws.

"Do You Hear the People Sing", the unofficial anthem for the Umbrella Movement in 2014, has also resurfaced as a commonly sung song during the protest. The song was also sung by protesters during a friendly football game between Manchester City and Kitchee on 24 July at Hong Kong Stadium to raise foreign awareness regarding the situation in Hong Kong.

Petition campaigns

A petition to revoke the U.S. citizenship and visas of the Hong Kong and China officials who support the extradition bill.

From May 2019 onwards, multiple petitions against the Bill from over 200 secondary schools, various industries, professions, and neighbourhoods were created. More than 167,000 students, alumni and teachers from all public universities and one in seven secondary schools in Hong Kong, including St. Francis' Canossian College which Carrie Lam attended, also launched online petitions against the extradition bill in a snowballing campaign. St. Mary's Canossian College and Wah Yan College, Kowloon, which Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng and Secretary for Security John Lee attended, respectively, also joined the campaign. Even the alumni, students and teachers at St. Stephen's College, which the victim in the Taiwan homicide case Poon Hiu-wing attended from Form 1 to Form 3, were unconvinced as they accused the government of using her case as a pretext to force the bill's passage.

Online petitions on We the People and Change.org called for governments in Western countries to respond to the extradition bill and hold the officials who pushed the bill forward accountable and reprehensible by the means of sanctioning and through revoking their citizenship. One petition urged the French government to strip Carrie Lam of her Legion of Honour award.

Former government executives, including Anson Chan, the former Chief Secretary for Administration, issued several open letters to Carrie Lam, urging her to respond to the five core demands raised by protesters. About 230 civil servants from more than 40 government departments, including RTHK, Innovation and Technology Bureau, Fire Services Department, Customs and Excise Department, Immigration Department and the Correctional Services Department also issued a joint statement condemning Lam's administration and demanding key officials involved in the incident, including Lam, John Lee, Teresa Cheng and Stephen Lo to resign while concealing their identities. The civil servants also threatened to launch a labour strike to paralyse the government's operations if the core demands are not met.

Advertising campaign

File:190628 New York Times, HK anti-bill advert.jpg

Anti-extradition bill advertisement placed on page A7 of The New York Times on 28 June 2019.

In June, protesters launched an online crowdfunding campaign to place open letters as full-page ads in major international newspapers before 28 June G20 summit in Osaka, Japan to raise global awareness and appeal for world leaders' intervention on the bill, urging everyone to "ally with [them]" and to "[demand] the preservation of Hong Kong's freedom and autonomy under the Chinese government." The goal to raise HK$3 million was accomplished in less than four hours, and successfully raised HK$5.45 million in less than six hours. The open letter was published by popular international newspapers including The New York Times, The Guardian, Japan Times, The Globe and Mail, Süddeutsche Zeitung, The Chosun Ilbo, Le Monde and the online version of Politico Europe. The advertisements were printed in the local languages of the readership for each periodical, and while graphic design and layout varies, most included the slogan and appeal to "Stand with Hong Kong at G20" along with the open letter.

AirDrop broadcast

In June and July, protesters in Hong Kong used Apple devices' AirDrop to broadcast anti-extradition bill information to people inside MTR trains, allowing recipients to read about concerns regarding the proposed law, aiming to raise awareness among the residents in Hong Kong.

During the 7 July protest in Tsim Sha Tsui, a major tourist district, protesters again used AirDrop to share information regarding protests and concerns about the bill with tourists from mainland China. Some shared QR codes that looked like "free money" from Alipay and WeChat Pay, but actually redirected to information–written in Simplified Chinese–about the on-going democratic movement. Because AirDrop creates a direct link between local devices, the technology bypasses mainland China's censorship efforts that have distorted and limited information about extradition bill protests.

Neighbourhood Lennon Walls

A tunnel near the Tai Po Market MTR station, dubbed as the "Lennon Tunnel."

Main article: Lennon Wall (Hong Kong) § June to July 2019

The original Lennon Wall has been once again set up in front of the Hong Kong Central Government Offices staircase. During the months of June and July, Lennon Walls covered with colourful post-it note messages for freedom and democracy have "blossomed everywhere" (遍地開花) and appeared throughout the entirety of Hong Kong and even inside government offices, including RTHK and the Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office. According to a crowd-sourced map of Hong Kong, there are over 150 Lennon Walls throughout the region.

Lennon Walls have led to conflicts between pro-democratic and pro-Beijing citizens, some of whom attempted to tear messages off from the walls and physically assaulted pro-democracy activists. Police also removed officers' personal information from a wall in Tai Po.

Lennon Walls have also appeared outside of Hong Kong in the cities of: Toronto, Vancouver BC, Tokyo, Berlin, London, Melbourne, Manchester, Sydney, Taipei, and Auckland. Messages of solidarity for the Hong Kong democracy movement have also been added to the original Lennon Wall in Prague. On 30 July, a female Hong Kong student was assaulted during a confrontation between pro-democracy and pro-China students while erecting a Lennon Wall at the University of Auckland.

Lennon Wall outside of a Yoshinoya fast-food chain, Hong Kong. A protest against their advertisement decisions.

Advertising boycotts

The Communications Authority received approximately 12,000 complaints criticising that TVB's coverage favoured the pro-establishment camp and the CCP. There were accusations that TVB presented an over-simplified narrative with limited information, therefore avoiding more overt censorship methods. In light of this, some businesses, including the Hong Kong branches of Pocari Sweat and Pizza Hut, withdrew their advertisements from TVB, delighting anti-extradition protestors but angering Mainland consumers.

The local franchise of Japanese fast-food chain Yoshinoya was accused of victimising employees opposing the extradition bill and wanting to take time off to join the protests. After an advertisement satirising recent police brutality appeared on the company's Facebook page, the company said it had severed ties with their partnering marketing agency.

Hunger strikers outside Admiralty Centre. 9 July 2019

Hunger strikes

See also: § 15 July hunger strikers' march

A group of protesters have been on hunger strike following 1 July rally in Admiralty. Preacher Roy Chan initiated the action and has been joined by about 10 others, including Labour Party lawmaker Fernando Cheung. They are camped near Harcourt Road in Admiralty, with many signs displayed to inform the public about their goals. At least five people have vowed to continue fasting until the extradition bill is officially withdrawn.

Non cooperation movements

See also: § 21 and 24 June police HQ sieges

Some democracy activists have adopted civil disobedience and direct action tactics. Examples include disruption of government operations, occupation of areas near the Revenue Tower and besieging Police HQ in Wan Chai.

In mid-June, protesters disrupted MTR services by blocking train doors and pressing emergency stop buttons in various train stations, delaying services. Demosistō also gathered at Mei Foo station to raise awareness for the issues and requested commuters to help "protect students." Disruption of MTR services continued after the Yuen Long violence on 21 July, with protesters obstructing train services at Admiralty station and requesting that MTR corporation be held accountable for mismanagement. Obstruction of MTR services received mixed responses from other commuters.

On 30 July, the non-co-operation movement again targeted MTR service during morning rush-hour. For about three hours, activists disrupted the Kwun Tong line at an interchange station. Due to service outages, MTR provided free bus transport to affected commuters. A train at North Point station on Hong Kong island was also targeted by demonstrators. Rail staff had threatened to strike on 30 July, but railway unions did not officially endorse participation in strike actions.

During the 5 August general strike, protesters blocked train doors in various MTR stations. As a result, a large extent of the MTR network was paralyzed. The non-cooperation movement targeted rush-hour periods, thus impeding people from travelling to work, or returning home. The activists involved said their goal was to prevent passengers from reaching work in crucial business districts such as Central, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok During the strike, a pregnant woman felt unwell and requested aid from paramedics while waiting in the train station for many hours.

On the same day, the movement also struck the roads, where protesters used their vehicles to disrupt traffic including stopping in lanes and slow-driving in roundabouts. Some protesters used various instruments including street-side railings, traffic cones, barricades and rubbish bins to blockade the roads which stopped a number of vehicles from passing through. This practice is very common, and has also occurred at Cross Harbor Tunnel multiple times, preventing traffic flow from travelling through one of the busiest passages in Hong Kong. Reports showed the Hong Kong International Airport was affected by strike actions, resulting in a large number of flight cancellations and delays. Photos show many travelers waiting in the concourse.

Police station blockades

See also: § 21 and 24 June police HQ sieges, § Ma On Shan police station blockades (1–3 August), § Tin Shui Wai police station protest (5 August), and § 11 August protests

Starting in late June, it became somewhat standard practice that peaceful marches during the day transformed into more radical direct actions at night, often targeting police stations with street protests, blockades, and vandalism. Many blockades were also solidarity actions in response to harsh policing tactics and recent arrests of democracy activists. Various police stations in Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai, Ma On Shan, Tseung Kwan O, Kwun Tong, Tsim Sha Tsui and Sham Shui Po as well as the Police HQ were besieged. Protesters constructed barricades, vandalised HKPF buildings, hurled bricks and eggs, and painted graffiti slogans on exterior station walls.

Demosisto researcher Jeffrey Ngo explained: "There’s a feeling among many that ... some physical confrontation is the only way" the regime will listen to citizen demands. Failures of previous democracy movements, concerns about corruption, and lack of response from Carrie Lam have led many to conclude that escalation of protest tactics is necessary. In early August, The Intercept interviewed a journalist experienced in covering civil unrest and he stated that although the protesters are very aware of possible legal repercussions, "Hong Kongers are losing their fear."

Citizens' press conference

Citizens' press conference held by protesters. 8 August 2019

A group of protesters held a citizens' press conference, hoping to "broadcast under-represented voices" and their own perspectives to the public. This was a response to daily police press briefings, which they described as "malicious distortions" and "untruth", and that they intended for these press conferences to “act as a counterweight to the government’s monopoly on political discourse.” In the press conferences, they would wear black, put on face masks and safety helmets, and conduct the discussion in both Cantonese and English, along with a sign language interpreter.

These press conferences were coordinated using Telegram and LIHKG, and the speakers stressed that they are not the leaders of the movement but wish to speak for the average protesters. Quartz described that such tactic is a "battlefront" in public relations with the government.

Other movements

As the momentum of the anti-extradition protests continued to grow, several more protests movements focusing on local issues were held in different regions in Hong Kong.

Reclaim Tuen Mun (6 July)

See also: Tuen Mun Park § Noise problem

On 6 July, people marched in a protest organised by the Tuen Mun Park Sanitation Concern Group. The protest aimed at condemning mainland Chinese middle-aged women singers and dancers, also known by the nickname "dai ma" (大媽), which literally translates to "big mothers," and the elderly men who gave these women "donations" for the noise disturbance and annoyances they have caused in Tuen Mun Park. Conflicts between the police and the protesters brew as the police escorted a person who allegedly assaulted the marchers away while using pepper spray on the protesters. The organiser claimed that nearly 10,000 people attended the protest.

Reclaim Sheung Shui (13 July)

Main article: Anti-parallel trading protests § 2019

File:Female AFP journalist face-hit by HK police with baton.jpg

A female AFP journalist injured during a protest in Sheung Shui on 13 July 2019.

On 13 July, a protest was organised in Sheung Shui for opposing mainland Chinese parallel trading, with 30,000 attendees claimed by the organiser. It was largely peaceful for the first two hours.

However, as it went on, the organiser and protesters refused to follow the authorised route, which had Sheung Shui Station as the destination. Instead, they marched on Sheung Shui Plaza, occupied some roads and started clashing with the police who accused them of unlawful assembly, triggering an hour-long standoff which lasted until late night. A handful of journalists were maliciously attacked by the police.

During the skirmishes, a number of dispensaries were vandalised by the protesters because they were thought to be complicit in the mainland Chinese parallel trading. After the riot police resumed traffic by dispersing the crowd, they chased the crowd onto a footbridge leading to Sheung Shui Station, when a handicapped teenager suddenly jumped off the footbridge for escape, but was rescued jointly by the journalists and police. He was eventually arrested, insulted and ushered into the police van.

Reclaim HKU (13 July)

On 13 July, about 300 students attended an on-campus protest to denounce Hong Kong University's president and vice-chancellor Zhang Xiang for his statement on 3 July condemning the "violent storming" of the Legislative Council building on 1 July, and to demand retraction of the statement. Zhang later met the students and agreed to create a forum of dialogue with students.

Journalists' silent march (14 July)

Protester handing their complaint letter to police representative on 14 July.

On 14 July, at 10:30 am, journalists and others in the media industry held a silent march from Harcourt Garden in Admiralty to Police Headquarters in Wan Chai; then on to the Chief Executive Office to protest against police attacks on the press. Journalists at the front of the march held a large banner that read "Stop Police Violence, Defend Press Freedom." They called on the Chief Executive to defend press freedom and enforce the Pledge to Uphold Press Freedom decree, which she signed in 2017.

The rally was jointly organised by Hong Kong Journalists Association, Hong Kong Press Photographers Association, Independent Commentators Association, Journalism Educators for Press Freedom, as well as staff associations of Ming Pao, Next Media and RTHK. It was attended by approximately 1,500 people.

Reclaim Yuen Long (27 July)

Main article: 2019 Yuen Long violence § Reclaim Yuen Long protest

Despite a police ban on the rally, thousands turned up on 27 July to protest the violent mob attack in Yuen Long the previous Sunday. Prior to the protest, a man was arrested for the stabbing of a pro-democracy activist dressed in black. The protesters marched on the main roads in Yuen Long, and surrounded the Yuen Long police station. Leonard Cheng, the president of Lingnan University, joined the march as an observer and became the first university chief to attend a protest since the Umbrella Revolution in 2014. The organisers claimed an attendance of about 288,000. To disperse the protesters, the police fired tear gas in a primarily residential area and in the evening, the stand-offs between the protesters and the police escalated into violent clashes inside Yuen Long station.

Ma On Shan police station blockades (1–3 August)

On 1 August, a police station in Ma On Shan was surrounded by a large number of protesters. They demanded the release of demonstrators facing riot charges from the protest last week. Photos show protesters hurling bricks that were dug out from pavements towards the police station, shattering windows. At around 3:50 AM, riot police cleared away the protesters.

On 2 August, hundreds gathered in response to police raids and arrests made for possession of protest supplies. At 11 pm, the crowd assembled near the Sha Tin police station and constructed barricades. By 1 am the protest shifted to the Ma On Shan police station, after word was received that the eight arrested individuals were being held at that location. Activists attempted to pry open the metal shutters, vandalised building walls, and removed the "Ma On Shan Police Station" sign. Riot police responded to the solidarity protest and by 3:15 am the crowds had dispersed.

On 3 August, democracy activists again returned to the Ma On Shan police station for the second consecutive night. They demanded the release of eight arrested protesters, including pro-independence activist Andy Chan Ho-tin, who was arrested the day before during a police raid on a building in Fo Tan and charged on suspicion of offensive weapons. The group of about 100 protesters banged on the metal shutters, threw hell money to curse the officers inside, and some painted graffiti messages such as "liberate Hong Kong" and "all consequences are at your own risk." Riot police began clearing the crowds at 10:45 pm. The police attempted to enter Park Belvedere, a private residential building, an act that angered both protesters and residents. The police also allegedly threw pepper bombs at people on a bridge.

Tin Shui Wai police station protest (5 August)

Following the arrest of a female protester who had her skirt and underwear torn by police officers during the struggle, eleven gender rights advocacy groups, including Gender and Sexual Justice in Action and the Chinese University’s Sex and Gender Concern Group called for a rally outside Tin Shui Wai police station on 5 August to condemn the police over the suspect's mistreatment. Protesters threw eggs at the police while the police used tear gas to disperse the protesters. Legislator Helena Wong condemned the police over the treatment of the protester, calling the arrest "extremely disrespectful of women". Responding to the criticism, Yolanda Yu, senior superintendent said that the protester was "struggling vigorously" and therefore required male police officers to subdue her.

Solidarity protest of laser pointer arrest (6 & 7 August)

Protesters at Sham Shui Po Police Station condemned the arrest of HKBU student union president. 6 August 2019

In the afternoon of 6 August, Hong Kong Baptist University student union president Keith Fong was arrested in Apliu Street, Sham Shui Po district. Plainclothes officers said that they approached him as "he was acting suspiciously". Fong ran away but was caught. He was searched and 10 laser pointers, were found in a plastic bag. Fong stated that he purchased those laser pointers for stargazing, while passers-by supported him and chanted "release him". However, police officers arrested him for "possession of offensive weapon". Fong then complained of feeling unwell after he was choked by the officers and was taken to Caritas Medical Centre. His parents, along with Baptist University principal Roland Chin and lawyers, went to the hospital to visit him. Chin asked the police ensure students are treated fairly.

The student union and other citizens voiced their anger, condemning police for their abuse of power and described it as part of a broader campaign to intimidate and silence democracy activists. They questioned how laser pointers could become an "offensive weapon", a police representative responded in a press conference that several police officers in previous protests were injured due to laser beams that were pointed at them. At night, around 300 protesters gathered outside Sham Shui Po Police Station, chanting "triads" and "mafia cops." Police fired several tear gas to disperse the crowd, and arrested several protesters, including Sha Tin District Councilor Wong Hok-lai, for "unlawful assembly".

Hundreds gathered at Hong Kong Space Museum with their laser pointers in protest of selective legal enforcement and the arrest of Fong. 7 August 2019

Protesters pointing their laser pointer to a newspaper held, mocking the police's demonstration. 6 August 2019

On 7 August, a group of teachers and staff members from HKBU held a press conference supporting Fong and condemning police's excessive force. They stated that the arrest is "unexplainable" and question the selective police enforcement with "unreasonable definition of offensive weapon". They also said that the freedom granted by the Basic Law is shaken by the police's action.

In a police press conference in the afternoon, police representatives stated that the laser pointers he purchased were in fact "laser guns." They attempted to demonstrate the "laser gun" Fong purchased is able to burn a hole in a paper by pointing it to a black area of a newspaper and holding it steadily for 20 seconds at very short distance. According to Stand News, hundreds of shoppers have since been searching for laser pointers with many shops completely sold out.

At night, a group of protesters gathered at Hong Kong Space Museum and shined laser pointers on the wall of the museum, some chanted slogans like "laser pointer revolution" and joked "Is the building on fire yet?" They hoped to show support to Fong and voice condemnation of his arrest by police, and to show that laser pointers are neither offensive weapons nor effective enough to cause a fire. Protesters also sang the song "I Am Angry" from Cantopop band Beyond.

Fong was detained 48 hours without any criminal charges, and then released on 8 August.

Paper-burning protest (9 August and 14 August)

A paper-burning protest was held in Wong Tai Sin and Sha Tin, in line with traditional Chinese customs during the Ghost Festival. Protesters burnt joss paper and threw hell money and attempted to light a bundle of incense sticks using laser pointers. They also threw hell money with Carrie Lam's face and a paper doll representing Junius Ho into a burning bin. 5 people were arrested by the police in Wong Tai Sin.

Another paper-burning protest was held in Sham Shui Po. Similarly, protesters burnt joss papers and images showing the faces of Carrie Lam and Police Commissioner Stephen Lo outside the Sham Shui Po police station. The protest was largely peaceful. The police then dispersed the protesters by shooting tear gas inside the police building complex and deploying riot police. Another similar protest was held in Tin Shui Wai, in which riot police arrested 5 protesters.

Counter-demonstrations

On 9 June, more than a dozen ships carrying banners with slogans supporting the bill cruised Victoria Harbour. Around 20 supporters from the Safeguard Hong Kong Alliance, a pro-Beijing activist group, also showed up at the government quarters to support the bill a few hours before the anti-extradition bill protest.

On 16 June, around 40 protesters from the pro-Beijing Safeguard Hong Kong Alliance and the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) protested outside the U.S. Consulate General in Central, condemning the US for allegedly interfering in the extradition law. Hundreds of Pro-Beijing supporters gathered in Chater Garden in Central under the banner "Support Hong Kong Police Force, Blessing to Hong Kong" on 22 June; pro-Beijing figures such as legislator Priscilla Leung and pro-police campaigner Leticia Lee fronted the rally.

On 30 June, a more significant demonstration was organised by pro-Beijing legislator Junius Ho Kwan-yiu to show solidarity for the police and support for the extradition bill, taking place in front of the government headquarters in Tamar. Former police chief Tang King-shing and former deputy police commissioner Peter Yam Tat-wing took to the podium, as did artists such as Alan Tam and Tony Leung. The organisers claimed that 165,000 people attended, while police cited 53,000. There were multiple confrontations as the pro-police supporters ran into small groups of anti-bill protesters wearing black, getting into arguments and scuffles with them as well with journalists covering the event. The Lennon Wall in Admiralty was destroyed by the pro-police supporters and pan-democratic Legislative Councilor Lam Cheuk-ting was physically assaulted.

On 15 July, dozens of protesters from ten Pro-Beijing groups including the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) held a demonstration in support of the Police and condemned the protesters for violently attacking the police. On 16 July 20 members of a Hawker Association held a demonstration outside the Wan Chai Police Station, condemning the protests for the drop of 40–50% in their sales. They also thanked the police for their work and called for the authorities to uphold the rule of law. On 17 July 70 members from the DAB and Politihk Social Strategic including lawmakers Ann Chiang, Elizabeth Quat, Wilson Or and Junius Ho Kwan-yiu held demonstrations outside the Wan Chai Police Station to express their support for the police, urge them to rethink their operations when dealing with ongoing protests and called the government to ban protests until September. On 18 July, around 30 supporters from the Pro-Beijing organisation of The Friends of Hong Kong Association held a demonstration outside the Wan Chai police's headquarters to show their support. They also donated 10 million to the police welfare fund. On 19 July 20 members from the pro-Beijing group, the Justice Alliance led by Leticia Lee held a demonstration out the Police Headquarters, where they delivered 10,000 juice boxes to the police and called on officers to "show no mercy" to protesters.

On 20 July, a demonstration organised by pro-Beijing coalition Safeguard Hong Kong Alliance occurred at Tamar Park to show solidarity for the police and support for the extradition bill. The organisers claimed that 316,000 attended, while police cited 103,000. Chan Pak-cheung, Maria Cordero, Elsie Leung and Maria Tam, former police chief Tang King-shing, and pro-Beijing legislators Regina Ip and Starry Lee attended and took turns giving speeches on the stage.

During the afternoon of 2 August, around 40 people from three pro-Beijing groups including New Millenarian, called for the sacking of any civil servants who will join the protest rally in the evening, stating those who join are violating the principle of political neutrality. Around 100 protesters gathered outside the US-consulate-general on 3 Aug to condemn alleged US interference in Hong Kong internal affairs. On the same day, another larger rally occurred in Victoria Park organised by Politihk Social Strategic, called for an end to the violence and support for the Hong Kong Police, with Junius Ho taking stage to give speeches. While police estimated 26,000, the organisers claimed that 90,000 people took part in the event.

On 6 August, around 40 supporters from the DAB and Hong Kong Fujian Women Association held a rally outside Police HQ in Wan Chai to show support for the Police in dealing with anti-government protesters. On 8 Aug, about 30 Pro-Beijing protesters gathered in Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier, and demanded that those who threw the national flag into the sea be brought to justice as they insulted the national flag and emblem. At the same time, 100 supporters from Politihk Social Strategic held a rally outside the Wan Chai Police HQ demanding the suspended extradition law bill to be resurrected and an inquiry into whether pro-democracy lawmakers have been instigating the recent riots. On 9 Aug, 15 members from the Hong Kong Honour Alliance Association, staged a rally outside the Wan Chai Police HQ to express their support for the police during July 21 Yuen Long mob attack on commuters, stating the Police did what they could.

On 10 August, three pro-police rallies organised by Safeguard Hong Kong Alliance took place. Around 300 people gathered at Central Police Station in Sheung Wan to show their support, while 50 supporters gathered outside Kwun Tong Police Station and 245 people from the Hong Kong Fujian Association showed up in North Point. On 11 August, outside of Toronto in Markham, Ontario, Canada, a solidarity protest occurred in support for the Hong Kong Police, Hong Kong Government and the Chinese government. Around 400 supporters representing various Chinese and Asian organisations based in Canada turned up promoting the theme of 'Supporting Stable and Prosperous Peace, Hong Kong and China will be better tomorrow'.

Chinese government and media

Allegations of foreign interference

File:2 Million Hong Kong Protestors, 2019-06-16, timelapse.webm

Timelapse video of 16 June protests.

The Beijing government and State run media have accused foreign forces for interfering with domestic affairs, and supporting the protesters. Bonnie Glaser of the Center for Strategic and International Studies described this as a popular tactic used by China, since it appeals to traditional anti-Westerner sentiment. Also, blaming the current crisis on outside forces redirects attention and focus away from the core issues.

After the 9 June protest, the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused opponents of the proposed extradition law of "collusion with the West", and voiced support for the Hong Kong administration. State-run media, China Daily, cited more than 700,000 people backing the legislation through an online petition, "countering a protest by about 240,000 people". Its coverage was cited by Buzzfeed News as an example of propaganda as the state-run newspaper failed to mention the "one million Hong Kongers that rallied in opposition to the extradition bill" Meanwhile, Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times dismissed the mass demonstration on 9 June, stating that "some international forces have significantly strengthened their interaction with the Hong Kong opposition in recent months."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying responded to remarks made by United Kingdom and United States officials on 23 July, stating there are "clear signs of foreign manipulation, plotting and even organization in the relevant violent incidents judging from what was reported by the media." A spokesperson from the US Consulate General in Hong Kong described those remarks as "ridiculous. The ongoing demonstrations in Hong Kong reflect the sentiment of the people of Hong Kong and their broad concerns about the erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy." On 26 July, Hua Chunying stated that Civil Human Rights Front's action of asking foreign countries to issue travel alerts on Hong Kong is "an attempt to pressure the Central and SAR governments by inciting foreign forces to interfere in Hong Kong affairs" and further said that "those who try to bring a wolf into the house to harm the country and the people" should be careful to study the lessons of history.

On 26 July, official state media newspaper China Daily stated that the US Central Intelligence Agency was "to whatever degree removed" ultimately responsible for recent "extreme" acts of protest, such as the vandalised Hong Kong Liaison Office. Ben Bland of the Lowy Institute said such claims "aren't very convincing but the Chinese government has been sticking with this line."

On 29 July, Global Times alleged United States-led foreign interference, and claimed "sufficient resource supply, flexible strategic deployment and real-time synchronization of propaganda attack" have "repeatedly showed that the whole movement is not spontaneous nor controled solely by local opposition force in Hong Kong." An article in CNN asserted that the publication did not provide any evidence for its allegations.

On 30 July, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying accused the United States of influencing the protests saying, "As you all know, they are somehow the work of the US." The accusation was in turn rejected by the State Department, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying, "It's – I saw these remarks as well. It's ludicrous on its face."

On August 6, Hua Chunying responded to the statement issued by Nancy Pelosi, saying Pelosi and other US politicians have been "calling white black time and again, bolstering violent radical criminals and even justifying and whitewashing their behaviors" and "wantonly smeared and vilified the just move of the SAR government and police to uphold the rule of law and order", saying it "is no different from covering up, conniving at and supporting illegal criminal behaviors, which again reveals their malicious intention of anti-China and messing up Hong Kong".

Pro-Beijing newspapers in Hong Kong and Taiwan have claimed that Taiwanese agents are assisting protesters in Hong Kong. Other sources of disinformation have appeared on-line, and Taiwan's Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau has asked at the request of the Taiwanese Presidential Office that Facebook remove fake news posts that claim President Tsai Ing-wen has funnelled US$32 million to the Hong Kong democracy movement through the Taiwanese embassy. On 2 August, Xinhua published an interview with high-ranking Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi, in which he stated that Western governments had "fanned the fires" in Hong Kong. The interview did not identify the Western leaders in question.

Foreigners living, working and studying in Hong Kong have been targeted by Hong Kong pro-Beijing lawmakers and media. On 28 July, state media China Daily asserted that Hong Kong residents support government and police efforts to foil the alleged schemes of foreigners. State-owned media circulated photos of foreigners along with captions of text that suggest affiliation with foreign intelligence agencies. A New York Times journalist was accused of being "suspicious" in a story ran by Chinese state-owned media Ta Kung Pao. The "Hong Kong Hermit" who is a foreigner and social media activist was also targeted in a Facebook post by a pro-Beijing lawmaker who called him a "protest commander."

On 7 August, CCTV, Ta Kung Pao, Wen Wei Po, and Global Times all published stories about American Consulate diplomat Julie Eadeh with photos of her meeting Joshua Wong, Nathan Law, Paang Ga-hou, Wong Ching-fung and other representatives of the pro-democracy political party Demosistō in Hong Kong; as well as photos of her meeting with Anson Chan and Martin Lee Chu-ming. She was accused by Chinese state media of contributing to civil unrest. One news source called her a "mysterious and low-profile expert on subversion" and another stated that the diplomat is "the behind-the-scenes black hand creating chaos in Hong Kong." One periodical also printed a list of American officials and politicians it claims are involved in bolstering protests, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. House speaker Nancy Pelosi; and photos have been published of Mike Pence meeting with Anson Chan and Jimmy Lai. China's State-run newspapers also published personal details about the diplomat's family, including photos and the names of her children and husband. The US State Department strongly condemned the action, and rebuked China for violating the Vienna Convention. A State Department representative explained that, as "Chinese authorities know full well", diplomats of every country meet with opposition figures as part of their job, and said, "It is not credible to think that millions of people are being manipulated to stand for a free and open society."

"Silent majority"

The Chinese government has attempted to appeal to the silent majority. In the context of these protests, Ma Ngok, an associate professor of Hong Kong politics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, classified the silent majority as conservative, working class, middle-aged people, and also parents who are concerned about their children being arrested.

China Daily said of the 20 July counter-demonstration that "the silent majority of Hong Kong has every reason to come out and defend their home".

On August 1, the official CCP news source People's Daily Overseas Edition said the economy of Hong Kong is harmed by "violent acts" and urged Hong Kong society should "quickly overcome the social conflicts and focus on developing economy and improving people's livelihood".

At a press conference on August 7, Yang Guang, spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, appealed to the Silent Majority to help control the protesters, similar to how a "loving mother" takes "the inexplicably angry child home." However, Ma said that it was the violence and conduct of the police which was more damaging to public perceptions.

Opposition to the anti-extradition bill protests

After the 21 July march, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office representatives condemned the behaviour of "radical demonstrators" who blockaded the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government, saying "It is quite necessary for the Hong Kong police to take immediate actions." Beijing's top local official, liaison office director Wang Zhimin, said that those who defaced China's national emblem and threw eggs and paint on the building challenged China's central authority and should be punished because they had "seriously hurt the feelings of all Chinese people."

On 29 July, a spokesman of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office stated: "The central government firmly supports Chief Executive Carrie Lam leading the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government in the law-based governance, supports the Hong Kong police in their strict law enforcement, supports ... punishing the violent criminals in accordance with the law, and supports the people who love both our country and Hong Kong in their action to defend the rule of law in the region." People's Daily Overseas Edition published a 29 July editorial and stated: "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and the Hong Kong police should punish the violent criminals in accordance with the law, no matter whether crimes committed are in the name of 'freedom and democracy' or 'pleading for justice on behalf of the people.'"

On August 7, the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Zhang Xiaoming stated "the central government is highly concerned about the situation in the city and is closely following developments there" and "The most pressing and overriding task at present is to stop violence, end the chaos and restore order, so as to safeguard our homeland and prevent Hong Kong from sinking into an abyss". Zhang also stated that "Patriotic forces can also play a pivotal role in steering the city out of the storm as they are a main force in safeguarding stability and prosperity".

A Global Times editorial listed the possible fates of protesters, concluding that "being independent thinkers, not willing to be one of 'the mob' who are used by those with political self-interest and ambition are the most important wisdom and EQ for Hong Kong youths in this turbulent environment."

Censorship and condemnation

See also: Censorship in China and Censorship in Hong Kong § Censorship after the handover

The first two weeks of protests were largely ignored by central mainland media outlets, with no major stories published until 17 April. The protests were mostly censored from Mainland Chinese social media, such as Sina Weibo. Keyword searches of "Hong Kong", "HK" and "extradition bill" led to other official news and entertainment news. Accounts that posted content regarding the protest were also blocked. By 14 June, censors were said to be working overtime to erase or block news of the protests on social media. On Sina Weibo and WeChat, the term "let's go Hong Kong" was blocked with the platform citing "relevant laws, regulations and policies" as the reason for not showing search results. Chinese social media users have attempted to bypass censors by rotating relevant pictures or even putting logos on them; however, while messages or images may appear to the sender as having been delivered, recipients often do not actually receive the communication as it has been secretly deleted by censors.

China's state television company China Central Television covered the LegCo occupation of 1 July, and claimed the action was "condemned by people from all walks of life in Hong Kong." There was however no mention of opposition to the extradition bill or any explanation given about the reasons for the protest.

Chinese state-run media also condemned a small group of protesters for removing the Chinese flag on 3 August. Guangming Daily said protesters' actions to remove the Chinese flag have "touched the bottom line of China's national sovereign security" and the protests have "exposed Hong Kong's 'abscess'" in the long term.

State media newspaper Global Times described the non-cooperation movements as "obviously hijacking the whole city" and claimed the movements are "not only anti-democracy but also anti-human rights."

Global Times and some mainland Chinese netizens praised the policeman pointing a gun loaded with beanbag rounds on July 30 solidarity rallies.

Following the largely peaceful 10 August protests and weekend airport sit-ins, state media outlet People's Daily disseminated an article via WeChat that portrayed democracy activists as the instigators of violence. The article stated that there is broad call from Hong Kong society to make the city safe again by ending "violent demonstrations".

On August 12, Yang Guang, a spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, stated "radical protesters" have "repeatedly attacked police officers in the past few days and have committed serious violent crimes", which "has begun to show the 'first signs of terrorism'".

In response to the protests on 13 August, Chinese media stated that, "Hong Kong protesters are 'asking for self-destruction.'"

Possible military action

The People's Armed Police (PAP) flag

On 29 July, disinformation was widely distributed across social media networks within hours of a rare press conference held in Beijing. Chinese officials at the media event denounced the Hong Kong democracy movement protests but side-stepped questions about the use of military force. Shortly after the Chinese defence ministry speech, several videos circulated on-line that appeared to show the People's Liberation Army entering Hong Kong and engaging in a military crackdown. According to Agence France-Presse, the fake videos have been viewed millions of times and are circulating on Facebook, Twitter, Sina Weibo, and other platforms. The video content, which depicts Chinese tanks and foot soldiers operating in urban areas, are all sourced from old footage but are presented with captions such as "PRC army is taking control of HK."

On 30 July, Bloomberg News reported that an anonymous White House official had leaked information about a potential Chinese military buildup along the Hong Kong border. On 31 July a "summer training" and oath taking ceremony was held at the Guangdong police centre in Guangzhou, relatively near to the border with Hong Kong. About 19,000 police officers were reportedly in attendance.

On 31 July, the PLA distributed a short promotional film, which was posted via the Hong Kong garrison's official Sina Weibo social media account. In the opening scenes, a soldier shouts in Cantonese "All consequences are at your own risk!" The video shows heavily armed troops shooting at mock citizen actors and making arrests; there are also depictions of tanks, helicopters, rocket launchers, automatic weapons, and water cannons being deployed in urban areas. The film closes with quotes from civilians, stating "The discipline of the military is very good" and "The PLA and people of Hong Kong are integrated."

On 6 August, hundreds of Chinese military vehicles were spotted in Shenzen, reportedly in preparation of a probable invasion of the Chinese military onto Hong Kong. The group of Chinese military vehicles in Shenzen were shown in a propaganda video made by the Chinese government.

Cyberattacks

See also: Cyberwarfare by China

During anti-extradition bill protests on 12 June, the encrypted messaging service Telegram went off-line due to cyberattacks. Telegram is an app that has been widely used by Hong Kong democracy activists to maintain private communications. Pavel Durov, Telegram founder, stated that service disruptions were the result of large-scale DDoS attacks that originated from a state actor. Durov later concluded that, based on IP address geolocation, the source of the cyberattacks was China and that it was not the first time Telegram had been targeted by the Chinese. Network attacks subsided by 8 pm that day, and Telegram services resumed.

Cyberattacks also occurred during the 2014 Umbrella Revolution. Security researchers believe China's Ministry of State Security was responsible for targeting democracy activists with sophisticated malware and spyware attacks that infected Android and iOS devices. The intelligence agency was also linked to powerful denial of service attacks aimed at CloudFlare and Internet voting systems and websites that enabled a grassroots civic referendum.

The Chinese government has denied that they engaged in cyberwarfare operations. According to a spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China has "always advocated that the international community should jointly safeguard the security of cyberspace through dialogue and cooperation."

Boycotts

China's state owned media have encouraged boycotts of companies accused of supporting the democracy movement. Taiwanese bubble tea chain Yifang, and Pocari Sweat have come under pressure from China.

On August 8, Chinese authorities pressured Hong Kong's main airline Cathay Pacific to suspend staff members who participated in the anti-extradition protests, and ban staff members from being part of any flights to China. Chinese officials further demanded that the airline must submit for prior approval the names of all crew members flying to Chinese cities or flying through Chinese airspace. Some staff have voiced disagreement about Beijing's recent moves to control internal company decision making and policy, while others have stated that it might be better to avoid flying to the mainland at all, fearing arrest by China's authorities for suspicion of holding democratic values, and wishing to avoid the search and seizure of personal belongings such as mobile phones. Cathay Pacific President John Slosar released a press statement: "We employ 27,000 people in Hong Kong ... we obviously do not imagine telling them what they have to think about certain subjects."

A social media campaign with the hashtag #BoycottCathayPacific was started on a Chinese State media controlled website and eventually wound up on Twitter.

"Flag protector" online posts

After some Hong Kong protesters removed the Chinese flag from a flagpole in Star Ferry Pier, Tsim Sha Tsui and threw it into the sea, state media CCTV posted a photo of the Chinese flag on Sina Weibo, with the caption "I am flag protector" and hashtag "#The five-star red flag has 1.4 billion protectors#". It has been reposted nearly a million times. The photo was shared by celebrities including Jackie Chan, Jackson Wang, Lucas Wong, Angelababy, Cao Lu, Lai Kuan-lin, Victoria Song, Wu Xuanyi, Cheng Xiao, Meng Meiqi, Song Yuqi, Wang Feifei, Zhou Jieqiong, Xu Minghao, Wen Junhui, Lay Zhang, William Chan, and Jordan Chan.

International reactions

In light of the ongoing protests, several countries issued travel warnings to Hong Kong.

Reactions

Australia Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne stated, "Australia supports the right of people to protest peacefully and to exercise their freedom of speech, and we urge all sides to show restraint and avoid violence". Prime Minister Scott Morrison called on the Chief Executive of Hong Kong to listen to protestor demands, denying that the protests were showing signs of terrorism. Canada Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland released a statement on 12 June, stating that "Canada remains concerned of the potential effects these proposals may have on the large number of Canadian citizens in Hong Kong, on business confidence, and on Hong Kong's international reputation". The statement urged the Hong Kong government to heed the people and the international community, as well as to safeguard the high degree of autonomy, rule of law, and independent judiciary of the territory. Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau said he was very concerned on the situation between Hong Kong and mainland China and called on China to bring peace, order and dialogue, stating: "we certainly call on China to be very careful and very respectful in how it deals with people who have legitimate concerns in Hong Kong." European Union The European Union External Affairs Ministry said rights "need to be respected" in Hong Kong on 12 June: "Over the past days, the people of Hong Kong have exercised their fundamental right to assemble and express themselves freely and peacefully. These rights need to be respected". MPs of European Parliament have also proposed motions to be debated among the 28 EU countries during their assembly on 18 July 2019, aiming at seeking EU-wide ban on supplying weapons to Hong Kong police and demanding the Chinese communist regime to honour the Sino-British Joint Declaration by stopping objectionable meddling in Hong Kong's internal affairs. Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said the protest was a good sign that the majority of protesters have been peaceful "and we appeal to all concerned to ensure that things remain just as peaceful in Hong Kong". Israel The Israeli Foreign Ministry has urged its citizens living in Hong Kong to refrain from partaking on the protests for safety and security reasons. Japan Minister of Foreign Affairs Tarō Kōno said, "I strongly hope that things will be settled early and Hong Kong's freedom and democracy will be maintained". Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has cautioned President Xi over recent turmoil in Hong Kong at the G20 Summit. Abe told Xi it is important for "a free and open Hong Kong to prosper under "one country, two systems' policy". Macau On 11 June, following the events in Hong Kong, the Macau SAR government said it would develop a wait-and-see approach in regards to negotiating their own extradition law with Mainland China. Philippines Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello stated that the situation is being monitored to assess if there is a need to suspend deployment of Overseas Filipino Workers to Hong Kong following the arrest of a Filipino migrant worker suspected to be involved in the protest in August. Singapore In an interview with the South China Morning Post and Lianhe Zaobao, Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam remarked that Hong Kong will need a supportive China to solve problems, and the solutions need to work for both Hong Kong and China. He does not believe that Singapore would benefit from the unrest and that if Hong Kong is at odds with China, it is a problem for everyone. He also berated the protesters for "wishful thinking replacing reality" that China will allow a very different system in Hong Kong, and criticized the international media for portraying a very slanted picture and not being objective on the issue. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen expressed her solidarity with the people of Hong Kong, remarking that Taiwan's democracy was hard-earned and had to be guarded and renewed, and pledged that as long as she is Taiwan's president, she will never accept "one country, two systems"; she cited what she considered to be a constant and rapid deterioration of Hong Kong's democracy in merely 20 years' time. She also posted on Instagram to provide support for "Hongkongers on the front line," saying the Taiwanese people would support all those who fight for free speech and democracy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan stated they supported Hong Kong's fighting against the extradition bill and for rule of law. They also criticised Hong Kong officials of using Taiwan as an excuse to pass the extradition bill, citing the Hong Kong government had been indifferent to "multiple requests" to extradite Chan Tong-kai on an ad-hoc basis. United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt urged the Hong Kong government to "engage in meaningful dialogue and take steps to preserve Hong Kong's rights and freedoms and high degree of autonomy, which underpin its international reputation". He added that upholding the "one country, two systems" principle is vital to Hong Kong's future success. The British consulate in Hong Kong opened its doors for protesters in need of sanctuary. The supply of crowd control equipment (e.g. rubber bullets and tear gas) have been suspended in response to the violence portrayed by the police force. Former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten hoped the British government would "have a public enquiry into the demonstrations that have taken place over recent weeks, and to the way they've been policed" but criticised the storming of the Legislative Council on 1 July. On 3 July, Chinese ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, was summoned to the UK's Foreign Office. In mid-July at Chatham House, British Prime Minister Theresa May stated that the Sino-British Joint Declaration "needs to be abided by ... and continue to be respected" by China. On 2 August, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab answered several questions regarding the Hong Kong protests during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Raab supported peaceful protest on both sides as "a basic right and should be respected". United States Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have both issued statements of support for the protesters. Pelosi herself met in March with senior officials from the Hong Kong democracy camp who included former chief secretary Anson Chan and Dennis Kwok to discuss the latest developments regarding the extradition bill. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Vice President Mike Pence and National Security Advisor John Bolton met with Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong publisher and democracy activist, in July. On 1 August, Trump condemned the developing violence of the protests in calling the events ‘riots.’ He also says the US will not involve itself: "That’s between Hong Kong and that’s between China, because Hong Kong is a part of China." In response, a bipartisan group of senators issued a statement to President Trump, condemning "Beijing’s efforts to undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy." In the letter, they declared "Hong Kong’s governance is not China’s internal affair" and that if the U.S. fails to respond to Beijing's threats it would "only encourage Chinese leaders to act with impunity." According to Bloomberg, Trump administration officials said the day after that the president had no intention to signal a policy change or an endorsement of China’s position.

See also

• List of protests in the 21st century
• Hong Kong July 1 marches
• 2010 Hong Kong democracy protests
• 2014 Hong Kong protests
• 2016 Mong Kok civil unrest
• 2019 in Hong Kong
• Umbrella Movement
• Art of the Umbrella Movement
• Causeway Bay Books disappearances
• Human rights in China
• Democratic development in Hong Kong
• Human rights in Hong Kong
• Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict

References

"What do the Hong Kong protesters want?". The Guardian. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.</ref>

External links

• Free Hong Kong Movement: Stand With Us at G20 – Open Letter & Timeline
• Fight for Freedom: Stand with Hong Kong – Call for Solidarity & Joint Declaration history
• How an Extradition Bill Became a Red Line for Hong Kongers – Podcast (33 min). Foreign Policy. 14 June 2019.
• Why We Stormed Hong Kong's Parliament – Documentary short film (5 min). BBC. 1 August 2019.
• (第十八講) 李立峯：無大台 - 理解抗爭新世代 – Discussion about "open-source" protest (3 hrs). Professor Francis Lee from CUHK. YouTube. 29 June 2019.