A rally for freedom and democracy has started a new protest weekend in Hong Kong today. Thousands of people took part in the demonstration, according to a dpa reporter. It stayed peaceful. Families with prams were there.
Previously, thousands of demonstrators had already participated in a peaceful rally despite rain, including many teachers. Fearing riots, many shops along the route closed earlier. Also, some of the demonstrators carried gas masks that people had used in previous protests to protect themselves from tear gas from the police.
During the weekend, further protests are planned in the former British colony, which is now part of the Special Administrative Region of China. It is feared that there will be riots again.
EU urges restraint
The EU called for restraint: „It is crucial that restraint be exercised, violence denied, and urgent steps taken to de-escalate the situation,“ said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on behalf of the EU-28.
In the 7.5-million-inhabitant city, part of the population has been on the streets for more than two months. At the height of the protest movement so far, there were about two million people. For the march on the weekend, the organizers hope from the Alliance Human Rights Front back to hundreds of thousands of participants.
