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Pro-establishment legislator Paul Tse holds pan-democrat Eddie Chu during the fugitive offenders bill committee meeting.
A lot has happened in Hong Kong when it comes to protests in the last few months. What started as protests againt an extradition bill to mainland China have turned to marches against police violence, labeling the protests as 'riots', the arrest of protesters and the lack of police response following attacks by suspected triad members in Yuen Long. The YP team has compiled a timeline of every major event related to the extradition bill since April, and will continue to add to this guide so you can have a one-stop resource for all your protest information.
Tens of thousands of people march peacefully against a local government bill that would allow, for the first time, extraditions to mainland China. It is one of the biggest protests in the city in recent years. There are fears the law will tighten Beijing’s grip on civil society and allow it to pursue its political enemies in Hong Kong. The march ends without violence.
Pro-establishment legislator Paul Tse holds pan-democrat Eddie Chu during the fugitive offenders bill committee meeting.
Photo: SCMP / Winson Wong
May 14, 2019
Lawmakers once again ended up in disagreement during a committee meeting on the bill, as pro-democracy and pro-establishment camps disagree over the bill.
Despite government tweaks to soften the law, tens of thousands more protest again on June 9, with brief clashes breaking out at the very end of the day. Organisers say more than one million people join the largely peaceful demonstration, the biggest since the 1997 handover of the former British colony to China. It descends into violence after midnight when police, using batons and pepper spray hoses, try to disperse small groups of protesters who hurl bottles and use metal barricades. The police put the march turnout at 240,000 and make 19 arrests.
Huge crowds block major roads and attempt to storm the Legislative Council, delaying the bill’s second reading. Police use tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and bean-bag rounds in the worst clashes since the handover. Nearly 80 people are injured. Police actions are widely condemned.
Tear gas, rubber bullets and beanbag guns were used by the police.
Photo: AFP
June 15, 2019
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam postpones the bill.
June 16, 2019
A fresh demonstration calls for the full withdrawal of the bill and for police accountability followed alleged excessive use of force on June 12. Organisers say two million people take part. Police put the figure at 338,000. Protests are held around the world in support of Hong Kong. Protests continue the next day.
Protests are held in anticipation of the G20 summit in Osaka, hoping to bring more light to the extradition bill issue. Carrie Lam refuses to completely withdraw the bill.
In the early hours of July 1, just ahead of an annual march to mark Hong Kong’s return to China, young masked protesters take over key roads, sparking new clashes with police. Later in the day hundreds smash their way into the Legislative Council and ransack the building, daubing its walls with anti-government graffiti. It takes police several hours to regain control. Carrie Lam calls an early morning press conference regarding the event. Occupy leader Joshua Wong defends the protesters.
Protesters are back on the streets and police fire tear gas and rubber bullets. In the Yuen Long area, masked men -- suspected to be triad gangsters -- attack protesters inside a train station.
It is revealed that two of the three men arrested in connection with the city's biggest bomb plot are members of Hong Kong independence groups. On the same day, police arrest 11 individuals for their roles in the Yuen Long attacks, and media groups urge the police to protect citizens.
Government workers publish an open letter revealing their dismary over how authorities handled the attacks in Yuen Long. Hongkongers raise money to fund ad campaign in the UK calling for the nation's support. Protesters conduct their first non-cooperative actions on the MTR, blocking train doors.
Protesters led a non-cooperative movement, blocking train doors from closing at Admiralty station.
Photo: Nora Tam
July 25, 2019
A planned march in Yuen Long to protest the violence of last week is denied permission by the police. The heads of five disciplinary forces condemned the recent violent events in the city and pledged their support for Carrie Lam.
Around 2,500 people held a peaceful protest in Hong Kong International Airport Terminal One, passing out leaflets to people arriving in the city. Police unions announce their opposition to independent inquiries into alleged excessive use of force, and it's revealed that a Chinese official urged HK villagers to chase away activists before the violence in Yuen Long.
There are running battles between police and pro-democracy protesters close to Beijing’s office in Hong Kong. Security forces launch volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets.
Anti-extradition protesters throw teargas back at riot police.
Photo: Sam Tsang/SCMP
July 29, 2019
Beijing holds its first press conference since the Handover in 1997, condemning the protests and what it calls 'foreign interference' in the city. Police begin testing anti-riot vehicles with water cannons.
There are clashes outside a police station in Kwai Chung district on after 44 protesters are charged with rioting. Six people are injured in drive-by firework attacks.
An officer points a suspected bean bag gun at protesters outside Kwai Chung police station.
Photo: AFP
August 1, 2019
The commander of the People's Liberation Army in Hong Kong says that the army is determined to protect China's sovereignty. The PLA releases a promotional video stating that troops in the city are able to protect its long-term stability.
Protests are held in Tseung Kwan O and Kennedy Town. Police fire tear gas again in the luxury shopping district of Causeway Bay, where thousands of protesters have seized roads and put up barricades.
There is a city-wide strike and activists disrupt the subway system, paralysing much of the city and delaying scores of international flights. For a third consecutive night, police confront hardcore protesters. The clashes are the most widespread so far, breaking out at more than a dozen locations. Men in white shirts attack people with bamboo sticks in North Point. Police say 148 people were arrested, the largest daily number since the protests kicked off.
Anti-government protesters set a fire at Sha Tin police station during citywide strikes.
Photo: Felix Wong/SCMP
August 6, 2019
China warns that “those who play with fire will perish by it”. Beijing also reaffirms its support for Carrie Lam and the police. Hong Kong Baptist University Student Union President Keith Fong Chung-in is arrested in Sham Shui Po for possession of 10 torch-like laser pointers, leading hundreds of protesters to beseige Sham Shui Po police station. Police fire about 20 rounds of tear gas to clear the crowd, who spray painted the station's walls and threw glass bottles and bricks into the complex.
A 'stargazing' protest is held in Tsim Sha Tsui to protest the arrest of Keith Fong. Hundreds gathered outside the Hong Kong Space Museum to shine laser beams on its dome, mocking the police's claim that the laser pointers were dangerous weapons. Fong's arrest leads to a spike in laser pointer sales.
The Director of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Zhang Xiaoming, says there will be no independent inquiry into the unrest in HK and the allegations of police force, despite it being one of the protester's key demands and supported by many pro-establishment politicians and foreign leaders. Keith Fong is released, without any charges laid out against him.
Protesters begin the first day of a weekend sit-in at the airport. Upcoming marches in Wong Tai Sin, Tai Po and Sham Shui Po are given letters of objection due to public safety concerns. The Wong Tai Shin march is cancelled, and a march meant to take place in Island East is downgraded to a gathering in Victoria Park. Retired deputy police comissioner Alan Lau Yip-Shing, who oversaw operations during the 2014 Umbrella Movement and 2016 Mong Kok riot, is brought out of retirement.
Hundreds of people join a mass sit-in at the airport. Elderly Hongkongers gather outside police headquarters in Wan Chai, and a 'Guard our Children's Future' gathering is held in Edingbrugh Place in Central.
People young and old attended the "Guard our children's future" rally.
Photo: Kelly Ho
August 11, 2019
At least 45 people are injured after clashes in Tsim Sha Tsui, Sham Shui Po, Wan Chai and Kwai Chung. Protesters throw bricks and petrol bombs, while police use their batons and throw tear gas. A medic's eye is severely damaged in a clash between police and protesters. She claims she was shot with a beanbag round. Police say they need more evidence. Police fire tear gas in Kwai Fong MTR station, and at least four people are attacked in North Point by pro-establishment groups - some in T-shirts printed with 'Fujianese'.
A crowdfunding campaign by Stand With HK raises more than US$1.9 million dollars (HKD$14,894,385) for a worldwide ad campaign 'informing the world of the war crimes committed by the Hong Kong communist government'. Police hold a press conference in which they attempt to explain their actions the previous day. Thousands of anti-government protesters occupy the airport, many wearing eye patches to show their anger at the woman who was shot in the eye. The airport cancels all flights out of Hong Kong for the rest of the day.
Carrie Lam holds a press conference in response to the previous day's airpot sit-in, in which she warns protesters they are pushing the city "into an abyss". Protesters occupy for the airport for another day, more than 300 flights are cancelled. The night turns violent as protesters assault two individuals from mainland China, one of them a journalist from Global Times. Riot police arrive at the airport.
Airport demostrators apologise for their behaviour on Telegram, though some pro-democracy netizens maintain their actions were justified. A new court order prevents demonstrations from taking place in most areas of the airport. Beijing says it sees the "first signs of terrorism" among HK's pro-democracy protesters.
People report having their phones checked for video and photos of the protest while crossing the border into mainland China. Police ban a planned Civil Human Rights Front march from Victoria Park to Chater Garden, allowing only a rally in Victoria Park.
K-pop group GOT7 cancels their show in Hong Kong due to concerns for member Jackson Wang's safety. Wang, born in HK, made comments in support of the mainland Chinese government and received threats online. In addition, Crystal Liu Yifei, the star of Disney's live-action Mulan, makes comments on Weibo stating that she supports the Hong Kong police force, prompting calls for boycotts of the movie.
Hong Kong teachers march in support of the anti-extradition protesters in a rally titled "Protect our Next Generation, Speak for our Conscience". A pro-police rally is held on the same day at Tamar Park.
A march held by the Civil Human Rights Front sees more than 1.7 million people march on Hong Kong island. Although the police only approved a rally in Victoria Park, the number of protesters forces them to spill out onto the streets. The police did not condemn the protests and described the day as peaceful. The event caps off a weekend of no tear gas, the first in 11 weeks.
The massive turnout at the rally forced the crowd to move out of Victoria Park and to various districts on the island.
Photo: Kyodo
August 19, 2019
Following a weekend of peaceful protests, more events are planned for the coming week, including an MTR non-cooperative action and a sit-in at Yuen Long station to commerate one month since the attacks on protesters by men in white shirts. More K-pop stars voice their support of the Chinese government.
A man attacks three people near a Lennon Wall in Tseung Kwan O after they express their views regarding the protests. Carrie Lam holds a press conference in which she says she is open to dialogue, but refuses to give in to protester's demands for an independent inquiry into alleged excessive police force and to completely withdraw the extradition bill. Twitter and Facebook suspend thousands of accounts believed to be run by the Chinese government whose main goal was to spread false information about and insult the protesters. In an event unrelated to the protests, two police are arrested after assaulting an elderly arrested man in the hospital.
A sit-in at the Yuen Long MTR station, to mark one month since attacks on protesters by mobs in white shirts, turned violent as protesters set off fire extinguishers and fire hoses at police.
Secondary students hold a peaceful gathering to show their support for anti-extradition bill protesters and plan a class boycott, beginning September 2. Pro-Beijing politicians form an anti-bullying group, out of fears that children of police will be targeted in school. A #SupportMulan campaign is launched on Twitter by Chinese state media.
Peaceful demonstrators form pro-democracy 'human chains' along the MTR lines. The MTR corporation announces it will toughen its stance against anti-government protesters, even closing down stations where protests will be held. A female anti-extradition bill protester says she was illegally strip searched by police.
Police ban the Civil Human Rights Front protest planned for Saturday (and the organiser is attacked by masked men with baseball bats, but is uninjured), and the woman whose eye was shot in Tsim Sha Tsui speaks out for the first time.
Secondary school and university students across Hong Kong take part in a class boycott in solidarity with the anti-extradition bill protesters. A Hong Kong court overturns the election ban on pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow.
Students and alumni in Tuen Munform a human chain in protest of Carrie Lam's announcement, insisting that all five demands must be met. The government begins an international ad campaign aimed at explaining the protests to a global audience.
Participants from 17 secondary schools around Hong Kong hold another human chain peaceful protests, calling on Carrie Lam to listen to the five demands of the protesters.
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Pro-establishment legislator Paul Tse holds pan-democrat Eddie Chu during the fugitive offenders bill committee meeting.