Hong Kong businessman sounds alarm on China extradition bill
Hong Kong entrepreneur Jimmy Lai warns the controversial extradition bill would be detrimental to the region's western values.
Hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy marchers took to the streets of Hong Kong Sunday, marking the sixth straight week of anti-government rallies in the Chinese city.
Demonstrators converged on Beijing’s Liaison Office at the end of the march and tossed eggs at the building and spray-painted over the office’s surveillance cameras before being forced to move by police, according to reports.
China’s national emblem, which adorns the front of the building, was also defaced with black ink.
An egg thrown by a protester hits the National Emblem of the People's Republic of China at the Chinese Liaison Office in Hong Kong on Sunday, July 21, 2019. Protesters in Hong Kong pressed on Sunday past the designated end point for a march in which tens of thousands repeated demands for direct elections in the Chinese territory and an independent investigation into police tactics used in previous demonstrations. (AP Photo/Bobby Yip)
Organizers said 430,000 people attended the march in the sweltering heat through Hong Kong’s business district. Police said 138,000 attended at its peak, Bloomberg News reported.
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“The focus of the protests has been about the extradition bill, but we are also starting to see how the government and police have mishandled them,” protester Kingston Cheung, 17, told Bloomberg. “The abuse of power by the police has added to the public’s anger.”
Millions have attended the rallies -- the largest since the former British Colony was returned to Chinese rule 22 years ago.
Protesters take part in a march on a street in Hong Kong, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Thousands of Hong Kong protesters marched from a public park to call for an independent investigation into police tactics. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
The protesters have demanded that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam formally withdraw an extradition bill that opponents say would have allowed Hong Kong residents to stand trial in mainland China. Lam has declared the bill dead.
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Protesters dressed in black kicked off Sunday's march at a public park, carrying a large banner that read "Independent Inquiry for Rule of Law."
Protesters carry United States flags, during a march in Hong Kong, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Protesters in Hong Kong pressed on Sunday past the designated end point for a march in which tens of thousands repeated demands for direct elections in the Chinese territory and an independent investigation into police tactics used in previous demonstrations. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
"Free Hong Kong! Democracy now!" the protesters chanted, forming a dense procession through Hong Kong's Wan Chai district as they were joined by others who had been waiting on side streets.
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Protesters gesture while holding placards reads "Form an independent investigation on legislative committee" during a march in Hong Kong, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Thousands of Hong Kong protesters marched from a public park to call for an independent investigation into police tactics.(AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
"I think the government has never responded to our demands," said Karen Yu, a 52-year-old Hong Kong resident who has attended four protests since they started. "No matter how much the government can do, at least it should come out and respond to us directly."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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