Organisers hope half a million protesters or more will join mass rally against Hong Kong government’s controversial extradition bill

No evidence two petrol bomb attacks on police are related to Sunday’s protest, Civil Human Rights Front says

Front convenor believes turnout can rival that of huge demonstration in 2003, which led to then-Hong Kong leader stepping down

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On July 1, 2003, an estimated 500,000 people took to the streets to protest against proposed national security legislation. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:15am, 8 Jun 2019Updated: 1:36pm, 9 Jun 2019

Organisers drumming up support for a mass rally on Sunday against the government’s extradition bill are hoping up to half a million people or more will join, matching the turnout at an anti-establishment protest in 2003 that led to a previous Hong Kong leader stepping down.

The public’s mood to resist the controversial bill, which would allow the transfer of criminal suspects to mainland China, appeared to be unshaken by two incidents in which police were targeted by petrol bombs on Friday.

Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit, convenor of organiser Civil Human Rights Front, said there was no evidence the two cases were related to the protest and that more than 100 people had volunteered to help supervise the march, which starts in Victoria Park, Causeway Bay.

The rally takes place just three days before the bill gets its second reading in the Legislative Council, after the government bypassed more stringent scrutiny by a committee following chaos in the legislature.

The front, a platform for 50 pro-democracy groups, had earlier forecast 300,000 people would turn out but by Friday morning, Sham had revised that figure, believing 500,000 might take to the streets.

“I can feel the public shares much concern about the bill, and I believe the turnout can rival the July 1 marches in 2003 and 2014,” he told a radio programme.