Mothers stage sit-in in Hong Kong park calling on government to withdraw extradition bill and for Chief Executive Carrie Lam to step down
- Organisers say at least 6,000 people turned out at rally in city centre public park on Friday evening
- Protesters also staged demonstrations at MTR stations and Christians sang hymns outside government headquarters in Tamar Park
At least 6,000 people, mostly mothers, according to organisers, staged a sit-in at a public park in the heart of Hong Kong’s business district on Friday night against the government’s controversial extradition bill.
The crowd, dressed in black and holding carnations, filled up almost the entire open space of the 13,600 sq m Chater Garden in Central.
“We’re just a group of ordinary mothers who love our children,” said barrister Linda Wong, mother of an eight-year-old son.
During the three-hour rally, the group chanted slogans demanding Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor step down and the government retract the bill, which would allow the transfer of suspects to jurisdictions the city does not have extradition arrangements with, such as mainland China.
Wong said many mothers were enraged after hearing Lam reprimand young protesters for “organising a riot” in a television interview on Wednesday.
Lam said she did not agree with the violent actions young people took, adding that she too was a mother and would not indulge in her children’s “wayward behaviour”.
