Police use tear gas against protesters in Yuen Long
The protest is being held to denounce last Sunday’s violence. Although without authorisation, organisers decided to go ahead anyway. For weeks, Honk Kong has been the scene of large-scale protests against a pro-Beijing law.
Hong Kong (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Hong Kong police have fired tear gas at protesters taking part in a peaceful (but unauthorised) rally in Yuen Long, the same Hong Kong district where members of a local organised crime syndicate beat up to 45 pro-democracy protesters returning from last Sunday’s protest.
That attack began when a group of about 100 people dressed in white T-shirts and armed with iron bars and sticks attacked a group of protesters and pro-democracy activists, easily identifiable by their black T-shirts, who had participated in an anti-extradition law rally. The thugs injured at least 45 people and, in their anger, struck bystanders, including a pregnant woman.
Rally organisers and pro-democracy groups denounced the violence, as well as the indifference of police, which showed up 40 minutes after the first emergency calls were made.
In order to express their disapproval of such behaviour, a group of pro-democracy activists requested authorisation for today’s rally in Yuen Long, which has drawn dozens of protesters.
Protests have been taking place for the past several weeks, often with clashes with police, in opposition to a proposed extradition law that would allow for automatic extradition from the former British colony to mainland China.
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