Hong Kong protests: residents young and old take to streets in peaceful rallies and urge police to ‘lay down their weapons’
- Parents voice concerns in Central where organisers say they want a Hong Kong where children are free
- In Wan Chai ‘silver-haired citizens’ say blame for violence rests with Chief Executive Carrie Lam
Youngsters and senior citizens took to the streets on Saturday morning, saying they were out to safeguard Hong Kong’s future and urging police to “lay down their offensive weapons”.
On a day when temperatures topped 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), hundreds of senior citizens walked for two hours from police headquarters in Wan Chai, to the Secretary for Justice’s Office and the Chief Executive’s Office in Admiralty to submit their petition letters.
In Edinburgh Place in Central, the scene of many clashes between police and protesters, prams and balloons replaced helmets and gas masks at the “Protect Children’s Future” rally.
The event was organised by a group of parents who wanted to make their concerns known to the government in a safe setting.
“We want to make sure our children can grow up to publish any books they want and surf the internet freely,” Wai Ming Ng, one of the organisers, said.
