Thu. Mar 28th, 2024
Hong Kong ProtestsPro-democratic protesters clash riot police

Hong Kong, July 1: Security forces have clashed with Hong Kong protesters on the 22nd anniversary of the territory’s status shift to Chinese rule from British.

According to BBC news reports, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam was addressing the annual flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the anniversary on Monday, while the armed forces used tear gas and pepper spray to restrain demonstrators.

In recent weeks, tens of thousands of people have staged mass protests in the territory against a controversial extradition bill which would permit suspects in Hong Kong to be sent to mainland China for prosecution and court trials.

The Lam-led government has agreed to halt the bill, but did not withdraw it, thus the marches continue.

The protesters’ demands include a full withdrawal of the extradition bill, revoking “riot” term describing protest on June 12, freeing all arrested activists, and probe into the police action.

Lam, speaking on Monday, said event occurred in June had helped her to release she required to invest time listening to the public. As Lam attended the ceremony in order to mark the handover, demonstrators held a parallel rally nearby, raising black flags showing fear for freedom in Hong Kong.

Since 1997, Hong Kong has been a part of China under the “one country, two systems” principle, which permits freedoms not be seen in China, including judicial independence. The extradition law has raised concerns for that change.

Critics of the law feared it could be used to fix a target on the opposition party of the Chinese government and to bring the territory more under China’s control.

On June 12, police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the marchers against the law, marking the worst violence in the territory in decades.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *