Extradition bill protesters blockade Hong Kong government buildings for second time in four days, preventing civil servants and taxpayers from entering
- Demonstrators block ground-floor entrances at tax office from noon onwards, before moving to Immigration Tower next door and government headquarters
- Action provokes mixed reactions, with some members of the public expressing support while others are disgruntled
Protesters demanding a full withdrawal of the now-suspended extradition bill blocked the entrances of multiple government offices on Hong Kong Island on Monday.
About 100 demonstrators besieged the tax office – for the second time in four days – before heading to the Immigration Department’s central building and then back to the government headquarters and legislature, where Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah was expected to attend a justice and legal services panel meeting.
In a spontaneous move, the protesters followed online calls to gather at the Legislative Council building in Admiralty at 11am and, after a show of hands, decided to march to Revenue Tower in Wan Chai, and block its entrances on the ground floor.
After some deliberation, from 1.45pm onwards, the protesters resolved to only let people leave the building and prevent them from entering, including via the underground car park.
University student Sean Ko, 22, took part in the blockade. “We will let civil servants exit the building for lunch and urge them to leave work early. But we are blocking anybody from entering. People can pay their taxes another day or do it online,” Ko said.
On top of pressing the government to withdraw the bill altogether, they demanded that police retract the use of the word “riot” in reference to a protest on June 12, and that authorities drop charges against those arrested in clashes that day. Protesters also called for an independent inquiry on what they said was an excessive use of force by police on June 12.