Hong Kong’s July 1 march turnout hits three-year low, estimated at 50,000

Attendees at annual demonstration, marking 21st anniversary of city’s return to Chinese rule, defy police warnings by cutting in away from the procession’s official start

Reading Time:10 minutes

The marchers make their way from Victoria Park. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 2:45pm, 1 Jul 2018Updated: 7:25pm, 6 Jun 2019

Roads were closed on Sunday around Hong Kong’s Victoria Park as demonstrators started to stream into Causeway Bay for the annual July 1 pro-democracy march, set to start from the park at 3pm in uncomfortable proximity to an outdoor celebration organised by a pro-China group to mark the 21st anniversary of the city’s handover from British to Chinese rule.

Organised by the Civil Human Rights Front – an umbrella group of some 50 pro-democracy groups – the march is both a protest against Chinese power and a show of support for democracy. This year, the theme is “End one-party dictatorship, reject the fall of Hong Kong”.

The starting point of the march has been a matter of contention this year. Police ordered the march to begin on the central lawn of the park. But the front, which had planned to start the march from East Point Road, opposed that plan, saying participants could clash with the pro-Beijing group using the six soccer pitches at the same time.

The front appealed but lost. It remained defiant and insisted that some of its core member groups would start the march from elsewhere and join the procession midway, although it would officially begin the march from the central lawn, following police orders.

Police warned that anyone ignoring force orders could be arrested for unlawful assembly.

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