HONG KONG; Police arrested over 30 people as riot officers swooped in on pro-democracy protesters opposed to the postponement of the local legislative election with rounds of pepper balls.
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets on Sunday to demonstrate against a new national security law imposed by China and the postponement of the legislative poll. Sunday was meant to be voting day for the city’s partially elected legislature, one of the few instances where Hong Kong voters get to cast ballots.
But Chief Executive Carrie Lam on 31 July postponed the election for one year, citing a surge in novel coronavirus cases. Critics say her government was worried the opposition would gain seats if voting was held as scheduled.
First official vote
The poll would have been the former British colony’s first official vote since Beijing imposed the new security legislation in late June, which critics say aims to quash dissent in the city.
Thousands of police were stationed around the bustling Kowloon Peninsula on Sunday as marchers waved placards and chanted popular anti-government slogans such as, “liberate Hong Kong”.
Police fired pepper balls at protesters in Kowloon’s Mong Kong neighbourhood, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported.
Some 30 other people were arrested on suspicion of illegal assembly and two were arrested for disorderly conduct, police said. In the Jordan neighbourhood, protesters raised a banner criticising the election delay.
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