'This is not just about television'
Marchers say the government showed disdain for the public by failing to explain its decision not to grant HKTV a licence
People from all walks of life were among the thousands who turned out at Tamar yesterday to protest against the government's controversial decision to deny Hong Kong Television Network a free-to-air broadcast licence.
It was a sea of black outside government headquarters - formed by protesters in matching T-shirts - and everyone from families and students to keen television viewers and those who barely watch television wanted to make their voices heard.
They called for justice and the preservation of Hong Kong's core values.
Protesters said they wore black to convey what they saw as one of the darkest weeks for the city's media industry. They marched from Causeway Bay to Tamar in Admiralty, where they joined forces with some of the 320 former HKTV employees who were laid off after the company's application was rejected. The laid-off workers were planning to stage an overnight sit-in outside the complex.
The ex-employees took turns making speeches on a podium alongside Civic Party lawmaker and former journalist Claudia Mo Man-ching. Student group Scholarism arrived a bit later from Causeway Bay to the sound of fervent cheers and applause.
Protesters clutched placards which read "Don't kill the media" and chanted slogans such as "Demand justice! Don't kill our dream".