Hong Kong begins 2020 just like 2019 ended – with protest chaos
- Police say at least 400 people arrested, mostly for illegal assembly and possession of offensive weapons
- Violence escalates as night falls, with at least five HSBC outlets smashed up or firebombed and a Starbucks outlet vandalised
Hong Kong started the first day of the year with a massive anti-government protest march that ended in chaos, as radicals blocked roads, smashed traffic lights, threw petrol bombs, vandalised bank branches, trashed shops and targeted the High Court, while police fired tear gas and water cannons, and arrested hundreds.
The police-approved march to the Central business district began just before 3pm, with the bulk of protesters flocking to the starting point at Victoria Park in the shopping hub of Causeway Bay, while others joined them along the way.
Protest organiser the Civil Human Rights Front claimed the turnout had surpassed the 1.03 million estimate for the first major rally against the extradition bill in June. Police put the figure at 47,000 during the march while another 13,000 were still at the starting point.
It was a show of solidarity to push for the protesters’ core demands, including an independent investigation into police conduct over nearly seven months of social unrest, amnesty for all those arrested, and universal suffrage.
