What Happened?
Hundreds of thousands of protestors gathered peacefully in the streets of Hong Kong Sunday as a show of solidarity for a months-long movement for democracy, according to CNN.
The rally held Sunday was organized by the Civil Human Rights Front, a pro-democracy organization that had also organized two mass peaceful protests in June, as reported by CNN. Sunday’s demonstration was the 11th consecutive weekend that protesters have flooded the streets of Hong Kong, calling for democracy and less interference from the Chinese government.
Organizers estimated that more than one million people had joined the rally, many dressed in black as a symbol of the new anti-government movement, according to CNN. Police reported that the number of people at the rally was closer to 128,000.
In Context
CNN reported that the goal of this weekend’s protest was to test the movement’s durability and bring peace back to the protests after violence had broken out at previous rallies.
The series of protests in the name of the anti-government movement began in March and kicked off with massive, peaceful gatherings in Hong Kong in June, according to CNN. During the last few months, however, smaller groups within the movement have acted, leading to “clashes [with police] and vandalism,” according to CNN.
Demonstrators have gotten into confrontations with police, vandalized government buildings and more. According to CNN, protestors have now also been angered by recent claims of police brutality during rallies and protests. However, violence initiated by protestors at a Hong Kong airport on Tuesday, Aug. 13, “set a newly combative tone” for the movement, according to CNN.
The Latest
Protestors hope that Sunday’s rally can mark a change in the movement moving forward as they plan for more rallies this week, Reuters reported.
While police told Reuters that there were still breaches of peace on Sunday night — some demonstrators aimed lasers into the eyes of police officers while others were still found defacing public buildings — the rally was much more peaceful than earlier protests, according to Reuters.
Speaking at a citizens press conference Monday, one protestor shared his concern that further violence and protest may escalate without a response from the Hong Kong government on the movement’s demands, according to Reuters.
“If you ask me, I personally hope there will be a quick resolution to this from the government so we don’t have to protest any more,” the speaker said at the conference.
