Separate groups of Hong Kong protesters marched to Causeway Bay and Sai Wan on Sunday – despite police instructions that they remain in Chater Garden in Central only.
The anti-police violence protests took place spontaneously on Sunday afternoon, with marchers deciding on the fly where they would go.
As of 5pm, riot police have been station outside the China Liaison Office in Sai Wan, where acts of vandalism took place last Sunday. The protest site in Causeway Bay saw no police presence.
Shortly after the sanctioned Central rally started at 3pm, protesters were agitated by the decision by police officers to stop a car on a nearby road.
Lawmaker Claudia Mo, who arrived on scene, told HKFP that police said the car was stopped because of a criminal investigation. It had nothing to do with the rally, police claimed.
But Mo said it was too “convenient” and wondered if police was trying to incite a response. pic.twitter.com/gJMRfvuNeF
— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) July 28, 2019
A woman in the car claimed that police scared her child, and protesters occupied Des Voeux Road Central and shouted “Shame on black cops.” The car was allowed to leave after brief questioning.
Hundreds of protesters then headed towards Causeway Bay, occupying Queensway and Hennessy Road.
“Shame of black cops, the police knowingly break the law!” Some chanted. Others shouted localist Edward Leung’s 2016 election slogan: “Reclaim Hong Kong, the revolution of our times.”
Ms. Chung, an elderly marcher, told HKFP that her main grievance was with the police, and how they handled the recent protests. Chung said she went to Yuen Long despite her fears for personal safety, and said it was wrong for riot police to storm the MTR station while protesters were leaving.
At the beginning of the rally, one of the organisers Ventus Lau reminded attendees that the march he applied for had been made illegal. Anyone who strays from the approved area may be in breach of the law, he said.
Police had previously banned a protest march from Chater Garden to Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park in Sheung Wan.
In an unusual twist, most protesters have eschewed the police HQ in Wan Chai, instead continuing east towards Causeway Bay.
Some protesters shouted “Causeway Bay,” though it is unclear what their destination is for now. pic.twitter.com/xhimlmG0H7
— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) July 28, 2019
Around 5pm, just as protesters were setting up barricades outside the SOGO department store in Causeway Bay, local media reported that a separate group of protesters headed west from Central.
Police in riot gear were spotted forming a line near Connaught Road West, near Beijing’s office in Hong Kong. Another team of riot police held their position outside the Western Police Station in Sai Wan.
More to follow.
