Hong Kong protesters brave strong winds, rain to attend latest rally
Protesters included high school and university students as well as older residents who said they had come out to express anger with the government and recent police violence.
Hong Kong's protest movement began on June 9 against legislation that would have allowed for criminal extradition to mainland China. Activists have since broadened their focus, demanding an investigation into police violence against protesters and for Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to step down.
Bank employee Andy Leung told dpa that the police and government response to protests over the summer had deeply angered him.
"It really pissed us off," Leung said. "First [there was] the extradition bill, but [also] what we saw from the police, the action." He then listed several incidents where police clashed not only with protesters but also with bystanders.
Leung said protests would continue until the government met the movement's five demands, which included permanently shelving the extradition bill and for Carrie Lam to step down.
The march's starting point, Victoria Park, continued to overflow with protesters who joined the march and slowly moved toward the business district.
Civil Human Rights Front, a mainstream democracy umbrella group coordinating Sunday's event, has organized protests in the past that have shattered attendance records.
Organizers said up to 2 million people attended the anti-government protest on June 16 - a figure that would make it the largest protest since 1997.
Inclement weather threatened to damper attendance on Sunday, with the Hong Kong Observatory forecasting wind gusts of 90 kilometres per hour as a "band of thundery showers" swept across the region.
Police had given protesters permission to gather but did not approve any march through the city streets.
Radical protesters came under fire this week after a demonstration at Hong Kong International Airport ended in clashes with riot police as protesters held an undercover police officer.
