Hong Kong protesters gather in renewed protest

Hong Kong protesters gather in renewed protest
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Friday (Sep. 6) measures announced this week to help restore order in the Chinese-ruled city were a first step as thousands gathered outside a subway station in renewed protest after months of sometimes violent unrest.

The crowds are expected to swell into the night, as the Asian financial hub braces for weekend demonstrations aiming to disrupt transport links to the airport after Lam’s withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill failed to appease some activists.

The airport announced that only passengers with tickets would be allowed to use the Airport Express train service on Saturday, boarding in downtown Hong Kong. The train would not stop en route, on the Kowloon peninsula. Bus services could also be hit, it said.

The measures are aimed at avoiding the chaos of last weekend, when protesters blocked airport approach roads, threw debris on the train track and trashed the MTR subway station in the nearby new town of Tung Chung in running clashes with police.

Several activists and pro-democracy groups say they will not give up on their demands, with rallies planned on Friday evening at sites across the city such as subway stations and near government headquarters.

Hundreds gathered at Prince Edward station, where police fired beanbag guns and used pepper spray on Tuesday to clear demonstrators.

Apart from withdrawing the bill and releasing those arrested for violence, they also want an independent inquiry into perceived police brutality, retraction of the word “riot” to describe rallies and the right for Hong Kong people to choose their own leaders.

The protests present Chinese President Xi Jinping with his greatest popular challenge since he came to power in 2012.

Based on Reuters

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