Demosistō leader Joshua Wong visited protesters outside the Hong Kong legislature on Monday in a show of solidarity, hours after being released from prison.
The activist fielded questions from a throng of reporters in front of the Legislative Council building where thousands had gathered the day before to call for the withdrawal of the postponed extradition bill. He said that he was wearing the same clothes he wore when he went to jail on May 16.
Wong’s visit preceded a march to the Chief Executive’s Office – led by pro-democracy legislators Eddie Chu Hoi-dick, Au Nok-hin, and Gary Fan – to demand a dialogue with leader Carrie Lam.
Anti-extradition law protesters have begun their march, led by legislators Au Nok-hin and Eddie Chu, to the Chief Exec. office to directly appeal to Carrie Lam.
👉In full: https://t.co/kmLJLFCnSX pic.twitter.com/i0PmFZltNL
— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) June 17, 2019
The government said in a statement on Sunday that the city’s leader had apologised, saying she promises to accept criticism amid mass protests over the controversial extradition bill and her leadership.
In February, Hong Kong proposed legal amendments to allow it to handle case-by-case extradition requests from jurisdictions with no prior agreements, most notably China and Taiwan. The bill would enable the chief executive and local courts to handle extradition requests without legislative oversight, although critics have raised concerns over the risk of residents being extradited to the mainland, which lacks human rights protections.
Organisers of the protest on Sunday said that nearly two million people attended. Police claimed 338,000 joined the designated walking route at the peak of the demonstration.
‘Dialogue’
Chu said the pan-democrats are in the process of arranging a meeting with Lam but that protesters wanted to conduct talks directly themselves: “These people, they don’t want us to represent them, they want to do the negotiation and the conversation directly,” he said.
The crowd later reoccupied Lung Wo Road – a frequent flashpoint during protests – halting traffic using safety cones and chanting “dialogue.”
The anti-extradition crowd chant “dialogue” outside the Chief Executive’s Office, while urging Carrie Lam to directly talk to the people.
👉In full: https://t.co/kmLJLFCnSX pic.twitter.com/6yEqb2G9Fb
— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) June 17, 2019
The protesters’ latest road occupation came after a mass protest last Wednesday ended in violence as police deployed rubber bullets and tear gas against crowds, in some of the worst violence the city has seen in years.
The Hong Kong Free Press #PressForFreedom 2019 Funding Drive seeks to raise HK$1.2m to support our non-profit newsroom and dedicated team of multi-media, multi-lingual reporters. HKFP is backed by readers, run by journalists and is immune to political and commercial pressure. This year’s critical fundraiser will provide us with the essential funds to continue our work into next year.
