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- Hong Kong police used pepper spray against protesters to disperse their protests.
- The protests were directed against the postponement of the parliamentary elections originally scheduled for Sunday in China’s special administrative region.
- Police reported 289 arrests overnight.
The protesters took to the streets because the parliamentary elections for the so-called Legislative Council should have taken place this Sunday. This council is one of the few bodies in which Hong Kong voters can appoint part of the deputies. But the elections have been postponed for a year.
The protesters carried signs and chanted Hong Kong independence slogans such as “Give me back my vote” or “Free Hong Kong.”
The protests were directed against a one-year postponement of the elections in Hong Kong.
Reuters
Hundreds of riot police were deployed to the Kowloon district to stop the demonstration. During the afternoon, protesters attacked the police. This ordered the crowd to disperse and conducted searches. The police also used pepper spray ammunition.
According to their own statements, the police had arrested 289 people overnight for participating in an unauthorized demonstration and for violating the security law.
According to live video footage, leaders of the pro-democracy movement, including Leung Kwok-hung, Figo Chan and Raphael Wong, have also been arrested.
Opposition calls for postponement by Corona as a pretext
Hong Kong-appointed Prime Minister Carrie Lam postponed elections for the Legislative Council for one year on July 31. She officially justified this with the corona virus and security concerns.
The opposition reacted with outrage, referring to neighboring countries that were holding elections despite the crown pandemic. Opponents of the government accuse Lam of using the crisis in the crown as an excuse to keep the democratic movement in check.
Hong Kong had been rocked by massive protests for seven months, sometimes with violent clashes. The outbreak of the corona pandemic and the promulgation of the security law, which has also been harshly criticized internationally, practically paralyzed the protests.
The priority for Hong Kong at the moment is to unite and fight the virus together.
In a statement Sunday night, the Hong Kong government condemned the “illegal and selfish actions” of the protesters. “The priority for Hong Kong at the moment is to unite and fight the virus together,” said a government spokesman.
