Aviation workers were among an estimated 15,000 protesters who staged a sit-in at Hong Kong International Airport on Friday in a bid to win international support for the movement against the now-suspended extradition bill . Dressed in black, the demonstrators gathered in the global transport hub’s arrival hall, aiming to enlighten foreign travellers about their anti-government campaign. Ahead of the peaceful afternoon protest, airport bosses arranged extra security and encouraged passengers to allow plenty of time for their journeys; but no flights had been disrupted as of 4pm Hong Kong time (4am US Eastern time), with the rally ongoing. “We want to share this news with tourists, to let the world know about Hong Kong,” said one of the protest’s co-organisers, a flight attendant who declined to give her name. The political storm triggered by the bill has resulted in weeks of street protests and clashes and put the city in the international spotlight. “We need the international community. We need people to voice out for us. Maybe on television, you don’t know the full story, but here we have videos and more information and we’re ready to talk to people to explain what is happening,” she said. At least two areas of the airport’s arrival hall were occupied by afternoon as people sat and chanted for the extradition bill to be fully withdrawn, crying “free Hong Kong”. Worrying fallout as Hong Kong police decry top official’s violence apology One placard called for Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to be “offloaded”, an aviation reference to removing a passenger from a plane, as protesters called for the Hong Kong leader’s resignation. Along with the sit-in, a small airport Lennon Wall appeared, allowing people to post supportive messages for protesters and notes against the extradition bill. The sit-in attracted scores of bystanders, looking on from various vantage points in the airport. More than 14,600 signatures were collected from tourists, residents and industry workers demanding that police arrest the men who had indiscriminately attacked passengers and protesters returning from an anti-bill march on Sunday in Yuen Long. They also called for an independent inquiry into what they called an excessive use of force by police to handle the past month’s extradition bill protests. Some protesters walked around the airport, speaking to travellers. A number distributed leaflets they said aimed to correct the police and government’s version of the shocking attacks in Yuen Long. Elite civil servant group calls on government to hold independent inquiry The protest action, organised by workers within the airport community, started at 1pm and was set to continue to the end of Friday. The situation threatened to escalate when air traffic controllers (ATC) raised the possibility of taking “uncooperative” industrial action, according to pan-democrat lawmaker Jeremy Tam Man-ho. Tam read out an open letter which came from an unknown number of staff from the Civil Aviation Department. “We do not rule out the possibility of taking further action such as an uncooperative movement,” the letter written by “professional and conscientious” ATC staff said. The Airport Authority (AA), which runs HKIA, added extra security to help ensure normal operations amid the protests, while the airport and airlines urged passengers to give themselves “sufficient time” to reach the airport and make flights. “The AA will work closely with its business partners to ensure smooth airport operations ... and [it] hopes that participants of the activities could avoid affecting passengers and airport operations,” an AA spokesman said. The rising tensions in the city stem from the controversial proposed extradition bill, which sought to allow Hong Kong to transfer suspects to jurisdictions with which it lacked official handover agreements, including mainland China. Critics feared the law, if implemented, would remove the legal firewall between the city and the mainland, exposing suspects to opaque trials across the border. Hong Kong No 2 says sorry for police response to Yuen Long attack Cathay Pacific Airways, the city’s biggest airline, said it had received numerous enquiries from customers about the status of flights amid the demonstrations, but reassured them planes would depart on schedule. “We would like to reassure customers that our flights to and from Hong Kong International Airport are operating as normal,” an airline spokeswoman said. Stephen Leather, who lives in Melbourne and was in the airport after holidaying in Hong Kong, said the protests did not deter him from visiting the city. He said he steered clear of flashpoints, referring to Sunday’s horrifying violence in Yuen Long. “We knew where the protests were going to be, so we stayed out of that area,” he said. “It makes you wary of going to certain areas of the city, that’s for sure. “We hope they would continue their peaceful protest.” The 60-year-old, who works in the aviation industry on aircraft cabin products, said he would be happy to return to the city as long as the protests remained peaceful. An airport ground handling worker surnamed Chow spent her lunchtime supporting the sit-in. “I am just too angry with the Hong Kong government. The city is not safe any more,” she said. “The police cannot protect us any more. I would like to support every Hongkonger,” she said. “I don’t want to oppose the China government, I just want to live in a safe place.”