Hundreds take to street for lunchtime protest in business district of Hong Kong, disrupting traffic
- Many among crowd are masked, saying they are decrying police brutality and showing anger over case of student who claimed she was sexually assaulted by officers
- Action follows long weekend of unrest against new anti-mask law
Traffic in Hong Kong’s business district was disrupted at lunchtime on Friday as hundreds of protesters, many in masks, marched along busy roads in Central following a rally at Chater Garden.
The crowd, some in office attire, occupied one vehicle lane and a tram track, as they chanted anti-government slogans and walked along Des Voeux Road Central and Connaught Road Central.
So far there has been no police presence at the site, and some protesters have taken to directing traffic.
A 30-year-old office worker in Central, who only gave her surname as Chan, said she joined the lunchtime march because she was really angry over the recent events.
“We are just expressing our demands, but why did Hong Kong become like mainland China? I don’t see justice for the people of Hong Kong,” she said, adding that she felt the university student was very brave to have spoken up about her experience on Thursday.
“We are here protesting against police brutality, and we don’t know what the IPCC is doing,” she said, referring to police watchdog the Independent Police Complaints Council.
