Hong Kong: Protests continue after thousands attend Tiananmen vigil
Dozens of pro-democracy protesters marched through a Hong Kong shopping centre this morning after thousands had defied a police ban to attend a vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
Protesters gathered in the heart of the financial hub for peaceful demonstrations against China’s new national security laws, which many fear will wipe out the autonomy of the former British colony.
Some held banners that read “Hong Kong independence” while others chanted “Glory to Hong Kong”, the unofficial anthem of the protests.
It came after thousands of demonstrators defied a police order yesterday to mark the anniversary of Chinese troops opening fire of student-led protests in Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
Authorities had banned the vigil this year, citing concerns about coronavirus.
Police erected barriers around the city’s Victoria Park, but protesters knocked them down and held candlelit gatherings.
Scuffles broke out in the working class area of Mong Kok where some protesters set up roadblocks and officers fired pepper spray.
The vigil has been held every year in Hong Kong since 1990, though this was the first time it has been disrupted by unrest.
Tiananmen Square commemorations are banned in mainland China and Beijing has attempted to censor all references to the massacre on the internet.
But the anniversary was particularly poignant this year as Hong Kong citizens hit back against draconian new national security laws and a bill outlawing disrespect of China’s national anthem.