Joshua Wong’s Demosisto raises most money at Hong Kong’s July 1 march but traditional pro-democracy groups fall behind

Two other parties set up in the past seven years – Democracy Groundwork and People Power – also upped their takings, while four others, mostly traditional pan-democrat groups founded in 2011 and before, took in less money.

Democracy Groundwork, led by disqualified lawmaker Lau Siu-lai, saw a 45 per cent increase in donations, receiving HK$276,000.

The July 1 march is one of the most important fundraising opportunities for the many pro-democracy groups in the city.

Apart from established political parties, smaller groups such as Community March and Civil Rights Observer also set up booths along the march’s route to gather funds on Sunday.

Parties are supposed to pay the march’s organiser, Civil Human Rights Front, an umbrella group of about 50 pro-democracy outfits, 10 per cent of the donations received to help with the cost of organising the event.