Hong Kong protests: Civil Human Rights Front loses appeal against police ban of National Day march
- Appeal board upholds police decision not to approve October 1 protests on Hong Kong Island, citing violence at previous marches
- Organisers of mass protests say ‘heartbreaking’ decision forces them to call off the events, and urge those who defy ban to stay safe
An appeal board has rejected the Civil Human Rights Front’s bid to hold a demonstration in Hong Kong on National Day, upholding police objections based on the threat to public safety and order.
The organisers of the city’s biggest protests had sought to overturn the force’s refusal to approve a rally and march on Hong Kong Island for Tuesday, which marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
But giving his ruling on Monday, appeal board head Dr Pang Kin-kee said: “Based on the series of violent events which have happened in past marches, the appeal board has agreed in unison to uphold the police’s objection.”
The board said it had backed the police decision to oppose the rally at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, and an associated march to Chater Road in Central, due to the “serious threat to public safety and order” posed by the planned events.
The front had no choice but to cancel the October 1 events, the group’s convenor Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit said.