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National Day: at least 86 people arrested in Hong Kong for illegal assembly or other offences
- 6,000 officers were deployed after online calls for action as city marks 71st anniversary of People’s Republic of China
- Hong Kong had earlier braced itself for potential chaos, but there were more police than protesters on the streets
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At least 86 people have been arrested in Hong Kong on suspicion of participating in an unauthorised assembly or committing other offences on National Day as riot police patrolled the city, and stopped and searched passers-by.
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Hong Kong had earlier braced for potential chaos on Thursday, but there were more police than anti-government protesters on the streets, with authorities deploying some 6,000 officers on the 71st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
A proposed march by the activist group Civil Human Rights Front had earlier been banned on the grounds of public safety and health reasons amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The front had wanted to organise the demonstration to show support for 12 Hong Kong fugitives captured at sea while fleeing to Taiwan and who are now detained in mainland China, accused of crimes related to illegal border crossing.
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Hong Kong police warn protesters of breaking national security law on China's National Day
Hong Kong police warn protesters of breaking national security law on China's National Day
Small groups of people, mostly dressed in black, gathered in Causeway Bay, but officers were on every street corner in the popular shopping hub, which was also the proposed starting point of the banned march.
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Defiant demonstrators had stressed they had a right to protest, with some making it clear they were not afraid of the Beijing-imposed national security law.
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