Organisers planning another mass rally in Hong Kong warn police not to reject their request as move would effectively mean imposing curfew in city

Civil Human Rights Front, which organised two mass protests that drew historic numbers onto the streets in June, wants to hold march this weekend

Security Bureau denies reports government is looking into declaring a curfew and banning demonstrations following escalation of violence

3-MIN READ3-MIN

Protesters attack police at New Town Plaza shopping centre on Sunday. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 11:55pm, 16 Jul 2019Updated: 9:59am, 17 Jul 2019

Organisers planning another mass march against Hong Kong’s embattled government this weekend have warned police that denying them a permit to proceed would effectively mean imposing a curfew on the city after the force asked them on Tuesday to postpone the protest because of safety concerns.

The Civil Human Rights Front, which organised two mass protests that drew historic numbers onto the streets in June against the government’s now-suspended extradition bill, said it wanted to hold the latest march on Saturday or Sunday, rather than push it back to August as requested by police.

The two sides met hours after the Security Bureau denied reports that the government was looking into declaring a curfew and banning demonstrations following unprecedented protest violence in Sha Tin last Sunday that left at least 28 protesters, police officers and journalists injured.

“The government will continue to follow the existing mechanism requiring notification to the police and the Letter of No Objection. Apart from this, the government has no other plans,” a spokesman said.

The front’s planned march would be a major protest among a series in the pipeline, including a social workers’ silent march from Wan Chai to the Chief Executive’s Office in Admiralty on Sunday, rallies against Chinese state-owned publishers at the Hong Kong Book Fair on Wednesday, and demonstrations in Mong Kok, Hung Hom, Western district and Tseung Kwan O in the coming weekends.