Earlier, hundreds of police officers filled the one-time protest hotspot of Causeway Bay, blocking off streets around the Sogo department store, while others were stationed around the entrances of the three major cross-harbour thoroughfares.

At 7pm, a small number of protesters heeded online calls to come out on the street to remember the previous demonstrations against the now-withdrawn extradition bill two years ago, although the crowds were far smaller than what was seen on June 4, when Hongkongers fanned out across the city to mark the Tiananmen Square crackdown. 

Near the Sogo department store, police officers kept asking those who stayed there to leave, making it impossible to form a gathering.

Standing outside the shopping complex, a 65-year-old man who declined to give his name said he wanted to relive the memories of the protests. 

“I am here today to remind myself of what happened two years ago. The police fired so many tear gas rounds at protesters that day and they have turned irrational,” he said, recounting what he witnessed near Citic Tower in Admiralty on June 12, 2019.

He conceded he was worried about his safety after seeing so many police officers, but said he felt the urge to come out and stand in silent memory of the day.

Alexandra Wong Fung-yiu, a protester commonly known as “Grandma Wong”, remained defiant as usual, wearing a mask printed with the British flag as she stood outside Sogo. 

The activist, who could be seen waving the Union flag at multiple protest scenes in 2019, was arrested last month on suspicion of taking part in an unauthorised assembly and inciting others to join as she marched alone to commemorate the Tiananmen Square crackdown. 

“Two years ago, I was at this exact place and it was flooded with people. I remember the scenes very well,” she said, holding a placard that displayed anti-government slogans. 

By about 4pm, dozens of officers had already blocked off part of Great George Street, where opposition camp members often set up tables and hand out pamphlets alongside others promoting various causes.

One man in his 40s angrily said he had been searched by officers who suggested he might be carrying offensive weapons in his bag.

“I have an umbrella. Is that a weapon?” the man asked. “Can I not walk around the streets today? Is this an unauthorised assembly because I am walking here by myself?” 

Police officers also set up roadblocks near the entrance of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel in Hung Hom to conduct checks, backing up cars for about 2km in the process. 

In Mong Kok, the force said several people dressed in black had thrown a rubbish bin and other objects onto Dundas Street at about 4pm, condemning the move for having disrupted traffic. 

“The police appeal to members of the public to refrain from taking part in any unauthorised assemblies,” the force said on its Facebook page. Hours later, they warned protesters against breaking the law after another rubbish bin was upended. 

Officers issued fines to some street booth organisers in the district who encouraged Hongkongers to keep fighting. 

Saturday’s precautionary show of force followed the arrest a day earlier of two opposition activists from the group Student Politicism for allegedly inciting others to join unlawful assemblies as well as advertising or publicising illegal gatherings. 

In an afternoon press conference, the group’s secretary, Chan Chi-sum, argued that Wong Yat-chin, 20, and Wong Yuen-lam, 19, had been unfairly detained by police, who misinterpreted their call to set up street booths as urging an illegal gathering.

Chan said the group had only planned to set up booths to engage the public in what he described as academic discussions about the 2019 anti-government protests.

“We have decided not to promote any events tonight under the name of Student Politicism. Some of us may commemorate the June 12 protests in an individual capacity instead,” he said. 

“Hong Kong authorities have become so intolerant to opposing views that they have tried every way to silence any platforms,” Chan said, who also described Student Politicism as a “group of fighters”.

Still, Chan encouraged Hongkongers to “defend their local roots” and “keep the flame burning”, referring to the months of protests.

The day was the first in which police fired rounds of tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators, who had taken over a major thoroughfare, with some radical elements attempting to push their way into the Legco complex in Admiralty and hurling bricks at officers.

The clashes continued until midnight, and the day’s events would later be seen as a major turning point in the anti-government movement.

An Independent Police Complaints Council report, published last year, recommended in its section on the incident that police set internal guidelines for officers on how to “differentiate rioters from non-rioters” after the force was accused of adopting a heavy-handed approach against a largely peaceful crowd.

02:23

Multiple overseas rallies mark anniversary of first major clash of 2019 Hong Kong protests

Multiple overseas rallies mark anniversary of first major clash of 2019 Hong Kong protests

Meanwhile, the momentum of overseas demonstrations in support of the protest movement remained strong. Hongkongers and their supporters were expected to hold rallies in at least 48 overseas cities, according to HKBeWater2021, an online campaign initiated by fugitive activist Finn Lau.

In London, crowds of black-clad protesters, including families with children, joined a march and chanted the now-outlawed protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times” and “Five Demands, not one less”. 

More than 200 protesters also showed up for a march in Tokyo, holding yellow umbrellas and black flags printed with the “Liberate Hong Kong” slogan.

Former opposition lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung, who revealed in March he was living in Australia after fleeing criminal charges in Hong Kong, appeared at the Sydney rally. The event drew more than 100 participants, some of whom waved the same flags.

Additional reporting by Kathleen Magramo and Victor Ting

07:30

China’s Rebel City: The Hong Kong Protests

China’s Rebel City: The Hong Kong Protests