[NEWS] Hong Kong protesters join meandering march for democracy – Loganspace AI

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hundreds marched in a meandering tour of downtown Hong Kong on Saturday in the pouring rain, the latest in a series of skilled-democracy protests that maintain plunged the Chinese language-dominated city into its worst political crisis in a few years.

Police blocked plans for a mass prove of force downtown to trace the fifth anniversary of a decision by China to curtail democratic reforms in the frail British colony, which returned to China in 1997.

Of us took to the streets anyway, many becoming a member of a “Christian march” from the Wanchai leisure district in a sea of umbrellas and congregating next to the Legislative Council, stormed by activists in an earlier protest.

Other demonstrators, many carrying black and face masks, marched in the Causeway Bay wanting district.

It used to be newest in a string of protests over three months, soe of which maintain grew to become violent, focused on the airport, the legislature and the Liaison Administrative heart, the symbol of Chinese language rule.

“Hong Kong has spiritual freedom,” Sally Yeung, 27, a Christian, urged Reuters. “We’re praying at various examine functions and praying for justice to approach in Hong Kong.

“Within the occasion that they prosecute us objective attributable to we are praying, they infringe our spiritual freedom.”

Hovering below an umbrella out of doors the authorities areas of work, Eric, a 22-year-extinct student, mentioned telling of us to no longer protest used to be like telling them to no longer breathe.

“I feel it’s my responsibility to fight for democracy,” he mentioned. “Perchance we resolve, presumably we lose. Nonetheless we fight.”

Police erected water-stuffed plastic boundaries around key authorities constructions and two water cannon, passe temporarily for the essential time final weekend, were parked end to the Liaison Administrative heart, which used to be daubed with graffiti in an earlier protest.

The MTR subway suspended some providers and shut predicament exits thanks to likely “public activities”.

“BE LIKE WATER”

Police arrested a assortment of prominent pro-democracy activists and three lawmakers on Friday, looking out for to rein in a movement which started with exasperate over deliberate legislation permitting extraditions to mainland China. It soon broadened into calls for democracy amid fears China is squeezing Hong Kong’s freedoms.

Nonetheless the latest protests have not any leaders. The slogan is “be like water”, that method be flexible. Marchers on Saturday were marching here and there, wherever streets took them, communicating with various hand signals and chanting “stand with Hong Kong” and “fight for freedom”.

Some mentioned roadblocks were forcing marchers to splinter.

China denies the value of meddling in Hong Kong, which it says is an inner affair. It has denounced the protests and warned of the anguish to the economy.

China is desirous to quell the unrest sooner than the Seventieth anniversary of the founding of the Of us’s Republic of China on Oct. 1 nonetheless protesters vandalized a protracted red banner celebrating the occasion to cheers from the team.

Beijing has also accused foreign powers, particularly the US and Britain, of fomenting the demonstrations and warned in opposition to foreign interference.

Hong Kong returned to China below a “one country, two systems” system that permits it to handle freedoms no longer loved on the mainland, like the freedom to protest and an self sustaining appropriate method.

There were frequent clashes between protesters and police, who maintain usually fired trip gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds, amid accusations of uncouth force.

“Quite a lot of of us from the out of doors think it is the police who escalate (the violence) first,” a police officer urged a media briefing. “That is no longer correct.”

An off-responsibility policeman used to be attacked leisurely on Friday night time by three unidentified males with a knife in the Kwai Chung container port space, struggling wounds to his limbs and encourage, police mentioned. The tips used to be a high-trending topic on China’s Twitter-like Weibo.

With protesters and authorities locked in an deadlock and Hong Kong facing its first recession in a decade, hypothesis has grown that the town authorities may even impose emergency licensed guidelines, giving it extra powers over detentions, censorship and curfews.

Lawmaker Fernando Cheung mentioned the arrests of the three legislators were potentially geared toward causing more exasperate and chaos to justify the exercise of emergency licensed guidelines.

“To incite more of us to return out at the present time is totally ridiculous,” he urged Reuters.