‘More than 1,500’ join journalists’ silent march in Hong Kong, accusing police of mistreating media during extradition bill protests and demanding Carrie Lam steps in to defend press freedom
- Reporters accuse police of attacking them during city unrest as they call for officers to respect media role during protests
- March takes press and its supporters to police headquarters before moving onto Hong Kong leader’s office
Journalists and their supporters dressed in black marched behind a banner, reading “stop police violence, defend press freedom”, to demand officers followed rules under the police general orders and warn them against obstructing journalists from doing their job.
Organisers said at least 1,500 attended the rally, which went from Admiralty to police headquarters in Wan Chai. The police estimate was 1,100 in attendance at the event’s peak.
They then marched to the Chief Executive’s Office, calling for city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to defend press freedom as promised in her election platform.
“Time and again, journalists have been struggling to keep themselves safe. The irony is the major source of threats came from law enforcing police officers on the spot,” said Chris Yeung Kin-hing, chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), which co-organised the march with six other groups.