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Hong Kong protests: police detain dozens as crowds defy health ban to mark one-year anniversary of first major clashes
- Demonstrators hit the streets in various districts despite police warning they risked arrest for unauthorised assembly
- On June 12 last year, trouble flared outside the Legislative Council after tens of thousands gathered there to demand the withdrawal of extradition bill
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Police dispersed anti-government protesters and detained dozens of them on Friday as hundreds defied a health ban against large gatherings in locations across Hong Kong to mark the June 12 anniversary of the first major clashes that launched last year’s social unrest.
Ignoring social-distancing rules for Covid-19, demonstrators hit the streets at night in districts, including Causeway Bay, Sha Tin, Mong Kok, Tai Po, Yuen Long and Kwun Tong, despite police warning they risked arrest for unauthorised assembly and could face five years in jail.
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Hong Kong police arrest protesters marking one year anniversary of June 12 major clashes
Hong Kong police arrest protesters marking one year anniversary of June 12 major clashes
On June 12 last year, trouble flared outside the Legislative Council after tens of thousands gathered there to demand the withdrawal of an extradition bill that would have allowed fugitives to be sent to the mainland and other jurisdictions with which Hong Kong has no transfer arrangement.
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The clashes marked a turning point for the movement, and the unrest has not died down even after the withdrawal of the bill.
The “very hot” weather warning was in place, and the Observatory also issued the typhoon standby signal No 1 for the first time this year, as hundreds of protesters gathered on the streets. They sang the anthem of the protest movement, Glory to Hong Kong, and chanted slogans.
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