Police blocked plans for a mass show of force downtown to mark the fifth anniversary of a decision by China to curtail democratic reforms in the former British colony, which returned to China in 1997.
People took to the streets anyway, many joining a “Christian march” from the Wanchai entertainment district in a sea of umbrellas and congregating next to the Legislative Council, stormed by activists in an earlier protest. Other demonstrators, many wearing black and face masks,marched in the Causeway Bay shopping district.
It was latest in a string of protests over three months, some of which have turned violent, targeting the airport, the legislature and the Liaison Office, the symbol of Chinese rule. “Hong Kong has religious freedom,” Sally Yeung, 27, a Christian, told Reuters. “We are praying at different checkpoints and praying for justice to arrive in Hong Kong.Hovering under an umbrella outside the government offices,Eric, a 22-year-old student, said telling people not to protest was like telling them not to breathe.