Hong Kong pro-police rally attracts hundreds of thousands calling for force to be respected
- Organisers put attendance at 316,000 while police say there were 103,000 at rally in Tamar Park
- Theme of rally was ‘Safeguard Hong Kong’, with attendees calling for rifts in society to be healed but many point finger at extradition bill protesters
Hundreds of thousands of government supporters gathered beside the administration’s headquarters to show solidarity and support for police on Saturday, a day before yet another massive march by extradition bill protesters.
Co-organised by 70 pro-Beijing figures and themed “Safeguard Hong Kong”, the rally at Tamar Park on Saturday afternoon, was attended by local residents, members of ethnic minorities, mainland immigrants and professionals working in the city, as well as visitors from across the border.
While their views differed on how the government had handled the political crisis and what it should do now, they were united in supporting police and condemning the violence seen in some of the protests, with some saying they did not want to see the rifts in Hong Kong widen further.
The now-suspended extradition bill has triggered a series of mass protests since early June, with some resulting in bloody clashes between police and protesters, who have been calling for a withdrawal of the draft law and the setting up of an independent commission of inquiry to investigate the saga.