Hong Kong suburb rally against extradition bill
July 14, 2019
Police on Sunday deployed batons and pepper spray against small groups of protesters on the sidelines of a huge rally in Sha Tin, a Hong Kong district popular with tourists from mainland China.
Organizers said 110,000 people took part, but police said it was only 28,000, according to broadcaster RTHK.
It was the second day of demonstrations in the city's so-called New Territories.
Masked protesters responded by building barricades using pedestrian barriers and umbrellas, sparking a standoff with riot police.
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The demonstrators are calling for the full withdrawal of the extradition bill that would allow for criminal suspects to stand trial in mainland China.
Last week, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the extradition bill was "dead," but this has failed to appease protesters. They want the bill formally withdrawn.
Demonstrators are also making broader demands from the government, and the resignation of Lam herself.
On Saturday, there were protests in downtown Hong Kong where journalists denounced police violence and in the border town of Sheng Shui against traders from the Chinese mainland.
kw/jm (AFP, Reuters)