Protest to postpone elections, Hong Kong protesters clashed with police

Hong Kong police fired tear gas at the crowd of protesters who protested the government’s decision to postpone the election of the legislature in the territory.

About 300 people were arrested during the unauthorized protest on Sunday.

The elections were supposed to be held on September 6, but the government postponed a year, citing that it was necessary amid a surge in corona virus infection.

The opposition accused the government of using the epidemic as an excuse to block people’s right to vote.

Opposition activists hoped to win a majority in the Legislative Assembly, as citizens were angered by Beijing’s imposition of the controversial new national security law in Hong Kong, and fear that freedom would be eroded in this territory.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, was handed over to China in 1997 under an agreement in which it promised to guarantee a high autonomy of the territory for 50 years.

Pro-democracy candidates gained an unprecedented advantage in last year’s district council election, winning 17 of 18 councils.

Thousands of people took to the streets in Hong Kong, marking what should have been Election Day.

Shout “Give me back your voting rights!” The protest groups that had traveled a short distance were stopped by well-armed riot police.

289 people were arrested, local media reported.

“I want my right to vote. What a shame [cho chính quyền] on the postponement of the elections, “Leung Kwok-hung, one of those arrested on Saturday, was quoted by the South China Morning Post website.

Earlier, a well-known opposition activist, Tam Tak-chi, was arrested on charges of making speeches that incited hatred and contempt for the government.

He was arrested by the police under Hong Kong’s new National Security Law, enacted by Beijing in June, which criminalizes various forms of political expression.