'We must not give up': Thousands march for democracy in Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators crammed into Hong Kong's streets on Sunday in a march seen as a test of the enduring appeal of an anti-government movement about to mark six months of demonstrations.

The pro-democracy protests have rocked the Chinese-ruled city for six months..Credit: AP

Chanting "Fight for freedom" and "Stand with Hong Kong," a sea of protesters formed a huge human snake winding through the Causeway Bay shopping district.

The protest ground to a standstill at times, with thousands of marchers crammed into the narrow streets, their cries of "Revolution in our times" echoing off the high-rise towers.

Many held up five fingers to press their five demands, which include democratic elections for
Hong Kong’s leader and legislature.

"One of our problems is that the government is not chosen by us, so they do not have to respond to our demands," said Kelly Ma.

"We still have to fight for it,’’ her sister Priscilla Ma said. "We must not give up. We really need them to know what we are thinking."

The huge turnout was reminiscent of marches in the first two months of the movement. Police banned the mass marches as the protests turned increasingly violent, but relented and allowed Sunday’s march after a few weeks of relative peace.

Police in riot gear deployed in numbers on the edges of the march. Earlier in the day, they arrested 11 people and seized a cache of weapons, including a firearm with more than 100 bullets.

Police said that the people arrested apparently planned to use the weapons during the protest to frame police, who have been accused of using excessive force against the protesters.

Demonstrators raise their hands on Hennessy Road in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong.Credit: Bloomberg

Rally organiser Eric Lai called on the police to exercise self-restraint and not fire tear gas. Authorities, who have used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets at previous demonstrations, say the force has been necessary to disperse protesters blocking streets, vandalising shops and throwing homemade petrol bombs at them.

The rally was called by the Civil Human Rights Front. This group organised some of the biggest
demonstrations since hundreds of thousands of protesters first marched on June 9 against now withdrawn government proposals that would have allowed criminal suspects to be sent for trial in Communist Party- controlled courts in mainland China.

"We hope this will be a signature for our movement after six months to show to [Hong Kong leader] Carrie Lam as well as to the world that people are not giving up, people will still fight for our freedom and democracy," Lai said as protesters gathered at Victoria Park for the march.

The movement has snowballed into a sustained challenge to the government of the semiautonomous Chinese territory and communist leaders in Beijing. The five demands also include an investigation into police use of force against the protesters.

Demonstrators wear face masks during the protest.Credit: Bloomberg

"They are out of control,’’ said Ernest Yau, a 28-year-old consultant. ‘‘We understand our common
enemy,’’ he said.

"We understand that we have to be united to fight against China, to fight against a government that doesn’t listen to its people."

A Communist Party official, meeting in Beijing on Saturday with Hong Kong’s new police commissioner, said that China would fully support the Hong Kong police’s strict law enforcement and unremitting efforts in restoring social order," China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported.

AP