søndag 18. august 2019

Hong Kong protests: More than 100,000 march peacefully


Hundreds of thousands are holding another day of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, amid increasingly severe warnings by Beijing. Activists and police have clashed over the past 10 weeks, but this weekend's rallies have so far been peaceful. The protests were sparked by an extradition bill, which has since been suspended by the Hong Kong government.

China, which has built up security forces in nearby Shenzhen, has likened the protests to terrorist activity. Its chargé d'affaires in London has warned that Beijing "will not sit by and watch" if the Hong Kong government loses control of the situation. The protest organisers, the Civil Rights Human Front, were denied authorisation for a march through the city, but police allowed Sunday's demonstration in Victoria Park.