A sea of democracy activists flooded the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday during torrential rain in a peaceful show to city leaders that their movement still pulls wide public support, despite mounting violence and increasingly stark warnings from Beijing.
Sunday's action, billed as a return to the peaceful origins of the leaderless protest movement, drew more than 1.7 million people making it one of the largest rallies since the protests began about three months ago, according to organisers the Civil Human Rights Front.It ended a weekend of protests that for the first time in weeks saw no major confrontations with police, as of early Monday morning.
"The police are doing things that are totally unacceptable," said Yim, who like many of the protesters gave only one name.Communist Party-ruled mainland China has taken an increasingly hardline tone towards the protesters, decrying the"terrorist-like" actions of a violent hardcore minority. "We have our gear with us, but we hope not to use it," said a 30-year-old identifying himself only as Man.
Analysts say any intervention by Chinese security forces would be a disaster for China's reputation and economy.A Hong Kong government spokesperson praised the police for handling"illegal acts with tolerance" and appealed to the protesters to"express their views in a peaceful and rational manner". But many Hong Kongers feel those freedoms are being chipped away, especially since China's hardline president Xi Jinping came to power.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
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