If you’re active on social media, you’ve most probably come across photos and videos of massive crowds flooding the city of Hong Kong.
Protests began a week ago when the Hong Kong government passed a bill authorizing extraditions to mainland China.
The extradition legislation would allow residents and visitors to be sent for trial in China’s Communist-controlled courts, effectively squashing freedom of speech.
Hong Kong’s chief, Carrie Lam, rescinded the bill and even issued a rare apology following a week of massive protests, but that is not enough.
The protesters demand the resignation of Lam who insisted on pushing through the legislation despite the initial public outcry.
Hong Kong rose up in defiance, jamming the streets with as many as 2 million people to demand leader Carrie Lam’s resignation a day after she suspended a contentious extradition bill.
Nearly 2 million of Hong Kong’s 7 million residents took to the streets in protest on June 16 — here’s why the anti-extradition marches are still raging pic.twitter.com/EiCnXbnFuy
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) June 18, 2019
Anger spilled over at a proposed law protesters say threatens the island’s tenuous autonomy from a more authoritarian China.
“I have never seen such a big crowd,” said Bonnie Leung, a leader of the protest organizers.
? Just how big was today’s #HongKongProtest? Here’s some drone footage #香港 #反送中 pic.twitter.com/tcDRFdNXAO
— TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) June 16, 2019
On Wednesday, demonstrations spiraled into the worst political violence since the handover from British rule, with police firing teargas and rubber bullets and attacking protesters.
Despite millions turning up, the protests have still been extremely orderly with the crowd even making way for an ambulance at some point.
https://twitter.com/KTHopkins/status/1140682646202265602?s=19
