bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporters

A protest march ended in violence at the Legislative Council when a mob stormed barricades and police responded with batons and pepper spray.  
What began as a peaceful protest, and held for nearly 10 hours, turned sour after midnight. Ugly scenes of violence erupted outside the Legislative Council as a mob stormed steel barricades. Police responded with batons and pepper spray as news cameras rolled.
The day started with hundreds of thousands of people flooding the streets to oppose the government’s extradition bill in the most unified protest march in the city in more than a decade. Some called it the ultimate showdown over the bill, which will resume its second reading on June 12 and if passed would allow the transfer of fugitives to jurisdictions the city had no previous agreement with.


Tensions have escalated in recent weeks as Hongkongers from all walks of life have spoken out against the proposal. Petitions against the bill have circulated, thousands of lawyers staged a silent march and several chambers of commerce have voiced concerns. The bill's proponents, notably the city's administration, see it as a vital tool to fight transnational crime and maintain the rule of law.
Our live blog below captures how events unfolded.


Most damage caused in 2019 Hong Kong protests repaired; protective fencing also removed from some bridges after review by authorities

Ex-lawmaker charged with rioting tells Hong Kong court he only went to scene of mob attack in 2019 as he feared ‘something bad might happen’

Hong Kong actor Gregory Wong convicted of rioting at Legco during 2019 anti-government protests

Hong Kong ex-opposition lawmaker has case to answer over allegedly instigating mob violence at Yuen Long MTR station in 2019

Hong Kong extradition bill

As it happened: How Hong Kong's protest march against the extradition bill turned ugly

Demonstrators clash with riot police outside the Legislative Council in Admiralty. Photo: Edmond So

Barriers block Lung Wo Road. Photo: Xinqi Su

News

Hong Kong

Politics

Mob storms metal barricades, police respond with batons and pepper spray
Melee still under way at Legco as police try to disperse angry crowd


Mob storms metal barricades, police respond with batons and pepper spray
 


Live

Exit E towards Victoria Park at Causeway Bay station has been blocked by staff, as crowds pour in. Meanwhile, Admiralty station two stops away on the Island Line is also packed. 




Crowds clog MTR stations as protest fever hits 

More than a dozen ships carrying banners with slogans supporting the bill have cruised into Hong Kong's iconic Victoria Harbour.



Shipping in: the other side of the protest 

Meanwhile, protests are being held across communities in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane. In Melbourne, hundreds protest outside the State Library Victoria. They chant slogans calling on authorities to scrap the extradition law, belting the anthem Do you hear the people sing? The song carries lyrics about people rising from slavery.
Hongkonger Henry Lee from Melbourne says: "I’m here today because I fear that I might be extradited to mainland China for crimes that I didn’t commit.
"The government has been rushing to have the bills passed. I felt that I have to come out today." Lee, a 35-year-old digital designer who moved to Melbourne about 10 years ago, says he is touched that people from around the world have come out against the bill.

In Canberra, about 70 people are taking part in a protest near the Canberra Centre. 
Among them is Australian Simon Henderson, 34. He says: "There is a strong sense of solidarity from the Hong Kong community internationally through these protests. This is regardless of them being students, business people or civil servants, and whether they have lived overseas for a short or long time." 
Henderson is a former senior policy advisor for the Hong Kong NGO Justice Centre.
"What struck me was the diversity of people concerned about the extradition proposals. One thing that collectively unites all is a sense of distrust towards the Chinese government, and a fear that if these proposals become law it will further undermine Hong Kong's autonomy."
NeoDemocrats cited organisers as saying there have been about 2,000 people attending in Sydney, while 500 and 200 people have turned out for the Melbourne and Brisbane protests respectively.
 


Australia joins the chorus

Support from the sea

Road intersections near Victoria Park are blocked. Organisers are advising protesters to keep a lookout for people around them and to drink plenty of water.

 


March kicks off

Mike Rowse, former director-general of InvestHK, has also joined the march. 
Rowse, who has remained government-friendly after 28 years in public office, says the matter of extradition is a serious subject and "did not receive the in-depth investigation" needed.
"If ever there was a piece of legislation in the last 100 years that needed a bills committee, this is the one,” Rowse tells the Post.
He describes the bill itself as already a "disaster", but adds the legislative process is even more worrying.
He also urges the government to respond properly to the large turnout and to address concerns voiced earlier by foreign businesses. 



Familiar faces in the crowd

Gigi Chow Mei-chi, 20, says she joined because she fears being extradited to the mainland. As the external secretary of Polytechnic University’s student union, she has made public remarks against the Chinese government.
"Some people may say the Hong Kong government will not change its mind no matter how many people come today. But we are here to tell the authorities we will not allow the bill to be passed," she says.
"The protest today is a major message to the Hong Kong and Chinese government that we do not want the bill."
Chow says many students from PolyU are joining the protest for the first time.

 


Student voices

The march started half an hour early because of the huge turnout as tens of thousands of people in white leave Victoria Park, chanting: "Step down, Carrie Lam! No evil law!"




'Step down Carrie Lam!'

For Kelvin Chan and Joel Tang, both 19, it is their first time taking to the streets for a protest. "After reading everything on social media platforms, I decided that I should come out and oppose the bill," Tang says. 
“I am a mainlander and I supoort Hongkongers to protest against the evil law” — seen at the anti-#extraditionbill march in #hongkong @SCMPNews pic.twitter.com/lHyoyIk4k4
— Jeffie Lam (@jeffielam) June 9, 2019
Chan, who joined a student strike on campus during the 2014 Occupy Movement, says he found it unreasonable to send Hongkongers across the border for trials. "I am very impressed by the crowd," Chan says. 
"This tells me that when Hong Kong is in need, its people will spare no effort."


'When Hong Kong is in need, its people will spare no effort'

An MTR spokesman says at around 2.30pm, a Chai Wan-bound train skipped the Tin Hau station "out of safety concerns" over overcrowding at the platform. He advises passengers to get off at Fortress Hill and take a train back to Tin Hau from the other direction. He does not confirm whether all trains will skip the station. 
This is what Central #HongKong looks like right now. Folks are united against the #ExtraditionBill . pic.twitter.com/zRrA4oFUem
— John M. Doherty (@ocean_chemist) June 9, 2019


MTR train skips Tin Hau station

An MTR spokesman says Causeway Bay and Tin Hau stations are packed and crowd control measures will be in place. Tin Hau exits A1 and A2, and Causeway Bay exit E2 are the only ones that are still open.

"Different stations will act according to the actual situation," the spokesman adds. "If there are too many passengers, stations will implement crowd control to let passengers in and onto platforms in batches."
 
#HongKong station at an almost standstill ahead of the anti-extradition law march. Most people are wearing white. #ExtraditionLaw @SCMPNews pic.twitter.com/6HRmq1iZIA
— Alkira Reinfrank (@AlkiraReinfrank) June 9, 2019


MTR chaos

Elvis Yeung, 22, is taking to the streets in protest for the first time because he wants to do something for the city he was born and bred in.
"This bill is one of antipathy because the Chinese government can simply make up an offence to get anyone they want, and the Hong Kong government is doing everything to help it," Yeung says.
He believes many others share the same dissatisfaction because he had to stand in a long queue for buses to Victoria Park from Yuen Long, a district in northwest Hong Kong.
"Whether or not this protest will move the government, we are coming out today to show the world that Hong Kong people still have a voice," Yeung says.
Impressed by the crowds, he adds he will join more rallies in future. 



'Showing the world Hong Kong has a voice'

Lily Chan, 70, arrives in a wheelchair. Despite her disability, she says she is here for the next generation. "I am here because you can’t trust the Chinese government."
She fears that if the bill is passed, Hong Kong would extradite protest organisers to the mainland. 
"The freedom we have in Hong Kong is being eroded," she says, adding that city officials have been taking orders from the mainland government, ignoring the calls from the public.

 


'Here for the next generation'

The protest march has come to a standstill on Causeway Bay Road, just a turn away from Victoria Park. People are chanting "open the road", demanding police grant them more space.



Crowds demand more space from police as march grinds to a halt

Many in the march are decked out in white, a dress code set by organisers. The colour is to symbolise "light and brightness", with an overall theme of justice. 


White for 'light and brightness'

Tens of thousands of Hongkongers are now marching under the heat, with the mercury rising to 31 degrees Celsius. Streets around Victoria Park in Causeway Bay are a sea of white, with protesters heeding the call of organisers to show up in the colour, symbolising "light and brightness". The procession has slowed, and emotions are boiling over. 
"Carrie Lam, step down!" some in the crowds chant, while others hold placards demanding Hong Kong's leader be extradited to the mainland.
 


Tens of thousands now on march as emotions run high

Tom Chiu, 40, a transport industry worker, is bringing his eight-year-old son, Patrick, to the rally. They are wearing white, as requested by the protest's organiser the Civil Human Rights Front.

He says: "Hong Kong’s system of law is already complete. No need for another extradition bill."
He admits he is not optimistic the government will shelve the bill, saying: "The government nowadays is different from back in 2003. It’s tougher and unwilling to listen to the people. But we still have to make our voices heard."

In 2003, a protest march against the national security law brought 500,000 people to the streets, but authorities heeded their call.



'The government is different from back in 2003'

All three eastbound lanes and the tram rail on Hennessy Road have been filled as the march grinds to a halt, with the tail end of the procession still at the starting point in Victoria Park. 


 
 


Eastbound lanes and tram rail on Hennessy Road packed

Former head of the Communications Authority and senior counsel Ambrose Ho has also joined the march. He took part in the legal profession’s silent protest last week.
"It was a matter of principle," Ho says. "I hope the government will listen to the legal profession and Hongkongers. Just look around, many people share our sentiments."
He says he once served as a deputy judge for nine years, and never joined a rally in that time. Ho adds that the major turnout today reminds him of the 2003 protest against the controversial national security law. 



'Just look around, many share our sentiments': Ambrose Ho

A protester who only wants to be known as "Ag" took this photo from Hong Kong station. It took people 30 minutes just to cross the underpass from Hong Kong station to Central station.



30 minutes to cross an underpass between stations


A driver caught in the jam on Causeway Bay Road puts anti-extradition bill posters on his windscreen and seizes the opportunity for a cigarette break.


Smoke break

Carl Sievers, a 33-year-old chef from Australia, is joining the protests with his girlfriend, a Hongkonger. This is his first time taking part in a rally here.
"I heard about the protests and I thought it’s a good thing to join as China coming into Hong Kong seems to be a major problem,” he says.
"I think this law is very scary as it can change people’s lives in a moment, as long as there aren’t any rules to stop the government from doing what they want, the situation will worsen."



'No rules to stop the government'

Impatient members in the crowd shout "open the road", while some youngsters climb over a metal barricade at the Shelter Street tram station, walking on lanes cordoned off by police.



Impatience seeps through 

Meanwhile, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam is at an event hosted at Ocean Park by the New Family charity. Attendees were asked to stand and clap as she entered. Lam spoke at the event, encouraging stronger links between young people in Hong Kong and the mainland.

 


Carrie Lam at a charity event in Ocean Park

Musical accompaniment 

Feeling the beat #ExtraditionLaw pic.twitter.com/MA1f79gUvf
— Darren Long (@darrenlonghk) June 9, 2019


Feeling the beat

Protesters have marched onto a section of Hennessy Road that was previously closed, after demanding that police open more lanes as the sheer numbers grind the procession to a halt. 


 


Protest spills over

Protesters argue with police at the intersection of Hennessy Road and Canal Road East/Canal Road West as officers stop them from linking up with the procession. "Let us through! Let us through!" they chant.
Oscar Lai, a student leader, says police are deliberately barring protesters from entering the main march. Chaos erupts when some people dash past a police cordon on Hennessy Road. 
Eventually, officers open up a section of the road that was originally closed off, to let crowds through. 



 


Police accused of barring protesters

Those people who are Kowloon-side but eager to join the march on Hong Kong Island have taken to crossing the harbour by ferry since the trains were inundated with crowds. Long queues now being seen at Tsim Sha Tsui ferry pier.



Ferry across the harbour

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam leaves the Ocean Park charity event with a smile, looking relaxed. She declines to answer questions on the extradition bill march or on protesters' demands for her to step down. 

 


Carrie Lam ignores questions about protest march

Protesters cheer as police relent and open the eastbound side of Hennessy Road.
Protesters cheer as the east-bound Hennessy Road is finally opened by police - the first time since 2003? #extraditionbill pic.twitter.com/7bK6eWxBD3
— Jeffie Lam (@jeffielam) June 9, 2019
 


Six lanes opened

As the crowds continue to throng the streets, estimates of the turnout have begun emerging with sources close to the organisers suggesting it could be bigger than half a million, but others such as a team from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology putting the figure at a more conservative 61,000.
The HKUST headcount is commissioned by pro-establishment group Hong Kong Institute for Development, funded by former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa and pro-Beijing politician Elsie Leung Oi-sie.
Police have yet to give their estimates but accusations are mounting that protestors are being hemmed in.



March turnout hits 'more than 500,000'

Huge crowds mass to the east of Wan Chai
Huge crowds massing to the east in Wanchai #June9 #notochinaextradition #hongkong pic.twitter.com/TQxiw4ReGV
— Harbour Times (@harbourtimes) June 9, 2019


Huge crowds

Protesters near Sogo department store are upbeat after police clear all lanes on Hennessy Road. Another line nearby has been opened by police to allow crowds to join the main procession. Before that, some groups have been stuck in the section for more than an hour. 
Senior Superintendent Kong Wing-cheung, from the public relations unit of the force, says the front of the procession reached its destination at government headquarters before 4pm, the speed of the march was optimal. But he also reminds protesters not to jump into the march from other locations along the way, as it would cause congestion and slow down the demonstration.


Lanes open and head of march reaches government headquarters

Someone has reportedly fainted at the starting point of the march in Victoria Park. Angry protesters, who have been stuck for hours, are hurling expletives and screaming for police to unblock the roads.
#hongkongers are making history today. All lanes of the Hennessy Road - including those which police refused to open before - are flooded by protesters against the #extraditionbill @SCMPNews pic.twitter.com/UTr2ui7Fix
— Jeffie Lam (@jeffielam) June 9, 2019


Anger over blocked roads

The starting point of the march at Victoria Park is still packed even as the front of the procession has already reached its destination at government headquarters in Admiralty. 
Catherine Leung, a finance analyst in her 30s, has been stuck at the park for hours. "I think this is the most crowded one that we’ve been to so far," she says, comparing her experiences at other rallies. 
"The government has said that even if there are many people coming to the protest, it doesn’t matter, but we just try to do what we can."



Crowds still at starting point

 Alcohol Salon, a group comprising 20 artists, with a DIY banner saying "no" to the extradition bill.



'We say NO ar'

The Civil Human Rights Front calls on march-goers who have arrived at the Legislative Council Complex to join a rehearsal to circle the building. Organisers urge protesters to stay on at Legco and wait for numbers to build up, readying for a long protest into the night.
Figo Chan, the front's deputy convener, says the move on Legco is a peaceful, rational and non-violent action, and asks protesters to follow the instructions to walk around Tamar Park and the Legco Complex. 
Protesters outside Legco are told by organisers to make a cross with their arms, symbolising their disapproval of the bill. "No extradition to China. Oppose the evil law," the crowd shouts.



Protesters plan to circle Legco

The march is stretching from Admiralty to North Point, at least 4km.
This is Hong Kong island. The march stretches from Admiralty to Fortress Hill/North Point area. That must be at least 4km long... and people are still joining. pic.twitter.com/orhX03YUpe
— Venus Wu (@wu_venus) June 9, 2019


Still they come

Barrister Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee calls the march a new start in light of the 2003 protest against the national security law and the 2014 Occupy movement.
"Because we Hongkongers not only took to the streets, but we came here out of our own initiative. We have so many groups, so many schools, even housewives and new immigrants. So many different groups joined the protest out of their own identity as a member of Hong Kong," Ng says. 
"We should be extraordinarily proud for the innovative actions we have taken."
Ng says the world has been watching. "Will anyone believe Carrie Lam any more if she continues to claim that there is only a small number of people opposing the bill?"



'Will anyone believe Carrie Lam any more'?

Even with more lanes opened and the front of the procession reaching its destination at government headquarters in Admiralty, Hennessy Road outside the Sogo department store is still a sea of protesters. The area is near the starting point of the event at Victoria Park. 





Sheer numbers still stuck outside Sogo

Protesters helping each other get out of Victoria Park, where thousands are still waiting to join the march. 

Just to show you how many people there is, just to JOIN the march at starting point. pic.twitter.com/JCsEGpTHgp
— Alvin L (@alvinllum) June 9, 2019


(Not) on the fence

It is the first time Tristan Yap, 10, and his mother Chan Yin-wah, 56, have joined a march. Chan says they did so because Chief Executive Carrie Lam would not listen to the demands of Hong Kong's people. 
"We must not let this bill pass," Chan says. "This is too important to not do anything about it. It's related to our lives and future."
She says she once considered migrating as she feels China is increasingly cracking down on freedoms in the city, but gave up on moving because "Tristan would not leave".
"He loves this place too much," she says.
 Her son chimes in: "I don't want to leave ... This is where I was born."

 


'He loves this place too much'

Businessman Ben Liang, who came from Shanghai to Hong Kong 20 years ago, is in the march with his daughters, aged 23 and five. He says this is a fight over values, which have set Hong Kong apart from the rest of China. 
Liang claims corruption remains common in the mainland system and its businesses, with little sense in what is right and wrong.
"I am a businessman and I never cared about politics before, but in recent years Hong Kong is deteriorating," Liang says. "I know the mainland system well, because I’ve been part of it. I hope Hong Kong can still defend what it holds dear."
"I wouldn’t care if this was just about myself. But I hope to contribute and defend this city. I used to believe Hongkongers can defend [their rights], but now I feel the city has become somewhat similar to Shanghai and Beijing, or even worse. Like our legal system ... It's a joke! But I still want to defend this place, no matter what, until the very end."



'I will defend this place till the very end'

More than three hours since the march kicked off, Causeway Bay, where the procession started, is still jam-packed with no signs of the crowd dispersing.

HK Gov can't ignore human demonstration of this scale against the controversial #extraditionbill. Hundreds of thousands peacefully fill streets to defend city's judicial independence from mainland China. pic.twitter.com/MXNP4nB1WD
— Lauren James (@Lauren_SCMP) June 9, 2019


Causeway Bay a sea of protesters

Art of the matter

Wang, a 27-year-old mainlander working in logistics, says he came from Shenzhen to witness the protests.
"I heard about the protests online after bypassing [the mainland's] firewall. Since I live nearby I decided to check it out."
"As a Chinese citizen, it’s heartening to know that there is still a place like Hong Kong with democracy and freedom of speech."



What a mainlander thinks

Professor Francis Lui speaks at a press conference over the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's methods to calculate crowd size for the protest. 
The HKUST headcount is commissioned by pro-establishment group Hong Kong Institute for Development, funded by former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa and pro-Beijing politician Elsie Leung Oi-sie.
Lui says as of 4.09pm, they estimated the turnout to be around 199,500. This was lower than some of the figures put forth by other organisations, which went as high as half a million.
The HKUST team used a combination of manual counting by staff at three sites, multiplied by crowd density in an identified march area, and data from aerial photography. 
"The front's count has no basis. They go by a visual estimate, which is not scientific," Lui says of the organiser's numbers.
He says his team is still counting and it is impossible to provide real-time updates.



A numbers game

Senior Superintendent Kong Wing-cheung, from the police's public relations unit, says seven men were arrested over various offences such as criminal damage on a street booth, theft, common assault and assaulting police. 
The League of Social Democrats says a suspect detained near Canal Road for assaulting officers is one of their members. 
Addressing the invitation from organisers to protesters to surround the legislative complex, Kong says police have to see what kind of activities surface after the march. 
He also dismissed rumours that police gave a turnout of 300,000.


Seven arrested over cases which include assault on police

Thousands of protesters raise their arms to form a cross at the sky, chanting: "Oppose extradition to China! Retract the unjust law!"
Then they all put their thumbs down, urging Carrie Lam to step down.



Calls for Lam to step down

Johnson Yeung Ching-yin, former convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front, says he would not be surprised if the turnout reached 1 million. 
"The MTR stations today are more crowded than in 2014, only the stations in Causeway Bay and Tin Hau had occasionally shut down," he says, referring to the July 1 pro-democracy march that year. "People had to start their march from Fortress Hill today, which was rarely seen in 2014."
"Moreover, all six lanes on Hennessy Road have been opened for today's march while in 2014, only three lanes plus the tram rail were opened," he adds. 
"Despite the wider road, people were not moving faster than back then. So I won't be surprised if the turnout reaches 1 million if the tail-end of the procession remains in Victoria Park till later this evening."
Yeung notes that for annual July 1 marches, crowds at the end of the rally would have left Victoria Park by 6.30pm or 7pm.


'Not surprised if turnout reaches 1 million'

Protesters take cover on Leighton Road as it begins to rain.



Umbrella movements

Peter Chan Yiu-fai, 21, a student frustrated with Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, has turned to the traditional voodoo art of Da Siu Yan. 
The practice involves a mystic smacking a human-shaped form - made from paper - with a shoe, an act believed to bring bad luck to one's enemies. 
"I know it may do nothing. But it makes me feel better as a way to vent my anger," Chan says, adding he feels hopeless about Hong Kong.
He adds that he has joined the march today because it may delay the process. 



Smack down on Lam

Open the road already pic.twitter.com/fmwNvCeSp3
— Mark Anthony Sharp (@marcosharpy) June 9, 2019


'Open the road'

Dr Rose Wu, the front's first convenor who organised the July 1 pro-democracy march in 2003, says she has observed a larger turnout today. The previous event saw 500,000 pour into streets in opposition to the national security bill. 
Wu believes today's event is bigger "because the major roads in Hong Kong Island were soon filled and the crowds could hardly move".
She says that the number is unlikely to be as high as 1 million, however. 
"I also helped organise a series of protests and rallies in 1989. It doesn't appear to me that today's scale has reached that level when we had 1 million on the streets 30 years ago."
But Wu notes that the urgency and self-mobilisation behind Sunday's march have surpassed that of the 2003 event. "People are voicing their concerns by forming their own groups, like those for housewives and alumni, instead of institutional platforms. 
"The swift and strong reactions from around the world have also provided a great boost for Hongkongers."


'More than 500,000'

The Civil Human Rights Front announces that the turnout is larger than the protest in 2003 when 500,000 people took to the streets against the national security bill. But the front has yet to declare an official figure. 
Police estimate that 153,000 protesters set off from Victoria Park. The actual turnout is expected to be much higher, as many others joined the march midway. In previous protests, police figures have always indicated peak attendance. 



Police put turnout for protest at 153,000

As evening comes, crowds are still in Causeway Bay, near the starting point of Victoria Park as the march lumbers on. 



March lumbers on with Causeway Bay still packed

A car is parked in the middle of Yee Wo Street, right smack in traffic. No driver is inside, causing a jam. Elsewhere, traffic grinds to a crawl as vehicles cruise among crowds that have spilled over from the march. 


 


Cars among human traffic

Hoping...
#extraditionbill Is this the hope of Hong Kong? @SCMPNews pic.twitter.com/TjKZlNwPT6
— Athena (@AthenaCDaily) June 9, 2019


Young marchers

Protesters wave banners against the government, calling for "liars" to step down, and accusing authorities of selling out the city. 



Anger boils into the night

Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung, vice-chairman of the Labour Party, high-fives passing protesters and encourages them to keep going.



'Keep on going'

Professor Francis Lui gives an updated figure for the march, putting the number at about 212,000 as of 4.45pm. He was speaking at a press conference over the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's methods to calculate crowd size. 
The HKUST headcount is commissioned by pro-establishment group Hong Kong Institute for Development, funded by former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa and pro-Beijing politician Elsie Leung Oi-sie.
The team used a combination of manual counting by staff at three sites, multiplied by crowd density in an identified march area, and data from aerial photography. The sites are Victoria Park, Wan Chai and the Legislative Council Complex. 
Lui earlier dismissed organisers' estimate of more than 500,000 as "not scientific". He said his team was not able to provide real-time figures. 


HKUST team's estimate: 212,000 protesters

Youngsters are among those in the thick of the action. 
Michelle Lam, 22, says it is the first march she has joined since the Occupy movement in 2014. "I had the feeling that we couldn't do anything to change our government," Lam says. "But this time I decided to come out because this bill is trying to strip us of our rights."
She says however that she will not join the action to surround Legco as she has a prior engagement with a friend. "But I want to, because so many have joined the march and we should wait for them," Lam says.
She adds that she may feel powerless again if the government takes a tough stand despite the march. "Let's see what they will do, and what escalation organisers will propose," she says.
Stella Kwan, 21, a science student at Chinese University, says this is also the first protest march she is attending.
"I feel like a stranger in the city I was born and live in," she laments, citing what she sees as mainland China's growing influence on Hong Kong. She is not optimistic the government would shelve the bill. 
"But at least we can tell people we don't want it," Kwan says. 
Teacher Alan Lee Ka-cheung, 23, is here with a friend. "It's too much, the bill can shake Hong Kong's foundation of freedom," he says, adding that he hopes the government will respond to protesters' demands. 
"The government is supposed to serve the people," he says. "Today so many of us gave up our Sunday to express our demands. The government has to give us an answer."
Lee says he will stay at the Legco Complex till late, but has not decided on what time to call it a day. 



As it happened: How Hong Kong's protest march against the extradition bill turned ugly

Mob storms metal barricades, police respond with batons and pepper spray Melee still under way at Legco as police try to disperse angry crowd

Mob storms metal barricades, police respond with batons and pepper spray

Melee still under way at Legco as police try to disperse angry crowd