Dozens of activists from the pro-democracy League of Social Democrats party marched from the HSBC headquarters to the former government offices in Central. The group intended to go to Government House where Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was set to have a dinner with visiting Chinese state leader Zhang Dejiang at around 6:30pm.
Zhang – China’s no. 3 official – arrived in the city on Tuesday to attend a Belt and Road Initiative summit hosted by the government.
Leading the protest was the party’s chairman Avery Ng Man-yuen who — along with three other members – were released by police after being arrested at a protest earlier on Tuesday.
“Zhang’s visit was disrupting our daily lives, and we felt that China was not sincere in implementing genuine universal suffrage in Hong Kong,” Ng said.
See also: Hongkongers stage mini acts of resistance as Chinese state leader arrives.
The group began the march at around 5:45pm. They chanted “No to Belt and Road Initiative”, “end Chinese dictatorship”,”universal suffrage in China”, “release Liu Xiaobo”, “Release all political prisoners”, “Zhang Dejiang go to hell”, “I want genuine universal suffrage” and “Leung Chun-ying step down” as they moved along Garden Road.
They also accused Zhang of being a “SARS murderer”, claiming that – when Zhang was in charge of Guangdong Province in 2003 – he tried to cover up the SARS pandemic in China as it spread to Hong Kong, costing 299 lives.
However, they were stopped at the former government offices on Lower Albert Road.
Police officers scuffled with protesters as they attempted to push through to Government House.
As a stalemate set in, protesters said they wished to walk back along Garden Road at 6:35pm. However, police officers would not allow them to pass, saying Garden Road was blocked.
The protesters then read out a statement condemning Zhang’s visit, and said they wished to leave.
“No matter how the police try to erase our voice of opposition, I believe many Hongkongers will use their own methods to express their discontent towards the Chinese Communist regime,” Ng said.
