Hong Kong protests: hundreds gather in pouring rain and vow to continue anti-government movement
- Event at Edinburgh Place marks key events of the first six months of civil unrest
- Young and old say they will fight on until demands are met
Hundreds of anti-government protesters gathered in the pouring rain in Hong Kong on Sunday to pledge to continue a social movement that has lasted for nearly seven months.
The organiser estimated about 4,000 people attended the authorised rally in Central, while police put the turnout at 500 at its peak.
The assembly took place ahead of a march by Civil Human Rights Front on New Year’s Day to press the government to meet the core demands of protesters. The front, an umbrella organisation of pro-democracy groups that has arranged some of the campaign’s key protests, received a letter of no objection from police on Sunday for the march from Victoria Park in Causeway Bay to Chater Road in Central. Police said they reserved the right to end the march if public order was threatened.
In its application, the front estimated at least 32,000 people would attend.
On Sunday, the usual chants of “five demands, not one less”, “disband Hong Kong police” and “Hongkongers, revenge!” were once again loudly heard in Central, as protesters attended the assembly at Edinburgh Place.