Protesters against Hong Kong reform plan need more space, organisers warn, as appeal denied
Organisers of a rally against political reform have warned of chaos when Legco votes on the package next week after an application to enlarge an area outside the complex set aside for their protest was rejected.
Organisers of a rally against political reform have warned of chaos when the Legislative Council votes on the package next week after an application to enlarge an area outside the complex set aside for their protest was rejected.
The rally area will be confined to a public square outside the Legislative Council that has a capacity for 2,600 people, with any overspill of protesters to be directed to nearby Tamar Park.
But the Civil Human Rights Front, organiser of the five-day rally that begins on Sunday, worries there will not be enough space for an estimated 55,000 protesters, especially because a counter-rally supporting reform would be held at the same place.
Cheng Sze-lut, Front member and applicant for the appeal, said the park, on a raised platform and linked to the Legco public square by a winding path, would not be a suitable place to protest.
“I doubt whether demonstrators unable to enter the square would spill to the park willingly,” he said.
“I am also worried that if the counter-rally is confined to the same place, they will be too close to us and there will be conflicts,” he added.
READ MORE: 'Tens of thousands' of protesters to rally in Hong Kong as Legco votes on election reform
