Hong Kong riot police armed with shields dispersed a crowd of around 300 pro-democracy activists holding a singing protest in an upmarket shopping mall on Sunday, despite a ban on public gatherings of more than four people.
Chanting popular protest slogans, mostly young activists clad in black swarmed the Cityplaza mall shouting ‘Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times!’ while others called for the release of pro-democracy activists.
The protest was the first of its kind since the government imposed a ban on public meetings at the end of March to curb a spike in coronavirus infections.
Fears that Beijing is flexing its muscles over the Asian financial hub risk reviving anti-government protests after months of calm as social distancing rules start to ease.
Political tensions have escalated over the past two weeks after the arrest of 15 pro-democracy activists in the city’s biggest crackdown on the movement.
Around 300 protesters, most wearing face masks as a precautionary measure against coronavirus, gather at a shopping mall in Hong Kong on Sunday
A couple wear face masks, as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus, as they push a baby carriage away in the middle of the protest
Riot police wearing face mask to avoid the spread of coronavirus argue with anti-government protesters as they stage a rally at a shopping mall in Hong Kong on Sunday
The black-clad protesters, many of them young, swarmed the Cityplaza mall shouting ‘Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times!’
Riot police carrying shields stand and watch a huge crowd of protesters at the shopping mall in Hong Kong on Sunday, the first protest since the coronavirus lockdown was implemented
Beijing has said it supported the arrests in the Chinese special administrative region.
On Sunday, police cordoned off sections of the Cityplaza mall, prompting some stores to shut as activists and shoppers, including families with children, were ordered to leave.
‘People were just singing, it’s very peaceful … we didn’t do anything illegally. Democracy and freedom is more important,’ said a high school student surnamed Or who came to participate ahead of his university entrance exam on Monday.
Adding to concerns that Beijing is increasingly meddling in the city’s affairs – a claim the central government rejects – Beijing’s top official urged local authorities last week to enact national security legislation as soon as possible.
Hong Kong has been the site of massive pro-democracy protests since last year, with millions taking to the streets to demonstrate against what local residents have seen as increasing interference from mainland China, overpowering the local government.
A protester stand in front a line of police officers during Sunday’s anti-government demonstration at a shopping mall in Hong Kong
Armed police officers stood watching as the protesters demonstrated against the government on Sunday, with reports that parts of the shopping centre was later closed down
Police detain one mask-wearing protester during the Sing with you rally outside the shopping mall in Hong Kong yesterday
The shopping mall attracted a large police presence, with several hundred protesters crammed inside to demonstrate against the government
As well as protesters, ordinary shoppers appeared to find themselves in the middle of the protest, with police keeping a keen eye on passers-by
The city is ruled under the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle which is supposed to provide for a level of independence for Hong Kong that other cities in China do not have.
Beijing has on multiple occasions accused western countries, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom, of inciting violence and discord in the city since the protests broke out.
There have been no mass protests in Hong Kong since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
City authorities, however, led a surprise crackdown last Sunday where they arrested 15 prominent pro-democracy figures in the city.
Hong Kong has been the site of massive pro-democracy protests since last year, with millions taking to the streets to demonstrate against the government and China
A police officer with a microphone clutches a can of what appears to be pepper spray as he urges protesters to disperse
On Sunday, police cordoned off sections of the Cityplaza mall, prompting some stores to shut as activists and shoppers, including families with children, were ordered to leave
Political tensions have escalated over the past two weeks after the arrest of 15 pro-democracy activists in the city’s biggest crackdown on the movement