About 1,000 gather in Central for rally calling for humanitarian aid on rare peaceful start to weekend, as city braces for illegal march on Sunday
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Hong Kong marked a rare Saturday afternoon without any violent protest but about 1,000 residents gathered as night fell in Central to call for international humanitarian aid, as the city geared up for an unauthorised march on Sunday.
With Hong Kong entering its 20th consecutive weekend of anti-government demonstrations, organisers of Saturday’s rally said earlier that the event at Edinburgh Place was meant to be peaceful and rational, involving people praying for foreign help amid more than four months of chaos that has rocked the city.
Police said the turnout peaked at 1,600 people.
The rally, or prayer meeting, came as demonstrators also gathered in other places such as Tsim Sha Tsui on Saturday to protest against the government, a day before an illegal march is set to take place from Salisbury Garden in the shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui to the West Kowloon terminus of the high-speed rail link on Sunday afternoon.
Hong Kong’s authorities have upheld a police ban on the planned anti-government march, citing “public safety and order”, but Figo Chan Ho-wun, vice-convenor of march organiser Civil Human Rights Front said they intended to push ahead in their personal capacity.
The front has been behind some of the biggest protests since the political crisis – sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill – erupted in June.