Protesters gathered in several Hong Kong malls to call for independence and the resignation of the city’s Beijing-backed leader Carrie Lam, who has record-low approval ratings.
The pro-democracy protests in the city are resuming after weeks of coronavirus restrictions. On Sunday, demonstrations broke out in at least eight shopping centres, with police rushing in to disperse crowds of activists and shoppers.
The police also issued fines of 2,000 Hong Kong dollars ($260) to those allegedly breaching the coronavirus measures banning more than eight people gathering in public.
The demonstrations began last year when people took to the streets to reject a bill that would have facilitated extradition to China and were often followed by brutal crackdowns by security forces.
The protests evolved into a wider movement calling for greater freedoms in what is the most concerted challenge to Beijing’s rule since the former British colony’s 1997 handover. However, Beijing has denied that it is tightening its grip over the city and has blamed the West for provoking unrest.
The protesters demand fully free elections in the city, an inquiry into alleged police misconduct during the protests and an amnesty for more than 7,000 people arrested during the movement, including some of the territory’s most prominent democracy campaigners.
On Wednesday, China’s Hong Kong affairs office condemned protesters as a “political virus“, and warned that Hong Kong would never be calm until the protesters were removed.
