Pro-Beijingers want Hong Kong district council elections recount and claim vote was ‘unfair and not transparent’
- More than 1,000 gather at Harbour Road Garden in Wan Chai for rally themed ‘Loving the country, safeguarding Hong Kong’
- One woman says vote that swept aside pro-establishment camp ‘does not make sense’ and result ‘was not possible’
More than 1,000 Beijing supporters in Hong Kong held a rally in Wan Chai on Saturday demanding the government recount votes cast in the district council elections, in which the pro-establishment camp suffered a humiliating loss.
Some participants, waving miniature national flags, vented their anger at the media, shoving reporters covering the rally at Harbour Road Garden.
Police said there were 1,500 people at the rally at its peak, while organisers did not give any estimate of the turnout.
The rally came after the pro-establishment camp won just 60 of the 452 seats in the elections held two weeks ago, a huge drop from 292 previously. They lost control of 17 of the 18 district councils, amid civil unrest in the city.
Themed “Loving the country, safeguarding Hong Kong”, the rally started with the crowd facing north and singing the national anthem. Chinese flags were distributed at the scene, turning the area into a sea of red.
