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Hong Kong protests

Hong Kong’s annual democracy protest: biggest in recent years

Police say around 90,000 people took part in the rally, while organisers say the turnout was over 500,000. [Andrey Kovalenko/Al Jazeera]
By Andrey Kovalenko and Nikolay Korzhov
Published On 2 Jul 2014

Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents took to the streets of the former British colony to push for greater democracy in a rally fuelled by anger over Beijing’s recent warning that it holds ultimate authority over the southern Chinese financial center.

Organisers said they expected the crowd to swell to least 180,000 for Tuesday’s march to press for reforms allowing residents to elect their leader. Other reports put the rally turnout at half a million.

The march came after an informal poll on democratic reform drew an unexpectedly high turnout of nearly 800,000 votes, but was branded “illegal and invalid” by Beijing.

July 1 is traditionally a day of protest in Hong Kong and also marks the anniversary of the handover from Britain to China in 1997, under a “one country, two systems” agreement.

That agreement gives residents civil liberties not seen on the mainland, including free speech and the right to protest.

But there are heightened fears that those freedoms are being eroded.

One of the main demands of the activists was for the ability to elect the city's chief executive without any input from the mainland. [Andrey Kovalenko/Al Jazeera]
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Demonstrators pack the streets near Causeway Bay, marching to central Hong Kong. [Andrey Kovalenko/Al Jazeera]
Many protesters expressed support for the public's right to nominate candidates in Hong Kong's next chief executive election in 2017. [Andrey Kovalenko/Al Jazeera]
Waving colonial-era flags and chanting anti-Beijing slogans, protesters demand democratic reforms. [Andrey Kovalenko/Al Jazeera]
Police closed off some parts of Yee Wo Street, setting up metal barricades, while people urged police to clear the roads and let them through. [Andrey Kovalenko/Al Jazeera]
Some protesters carry placards rejecting mainland authority. [Andrey Kovalenko/Al Jazeera]
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Hundreds of students occupy Chater Road. [Andrey Kovalenko/Al Jazeera]
“I am angry at the government because of what they are to doing to people," says Karen Chan, 29, who is too young to remember the handover from Britain to China in 1997. "They just want more and more money without thinking about Hong Kong’s future." [Andrey Kovalenko/Al Jazeera]
Police ordered demonstrators to leave Chater Road. [Andrey Kovalenko/Al Jazeera]
A protesters sits on the ground in front of a police cordon. Protesters were urged by the organisers not to clash with police and to remain calm if they ended up being removed by police. [Andrey Kovalenko/Al Jazeera]
Police officers begin removing protesters and carrying them to a nearby bus. [Andrey Kovalenko/Al Jazeera]
Police arrest some 511 people for illegal assembly and obstructing police. [Andrey Kovalenko/Al Jazeera]
A demonstrator receives first aid after an exhausting night of protest. [Andrey Kovalenko/Al Jazeera]
“We are asking for democracy - it’s unacceptable when the Chinese government chooses who you must vote for,” says Kaikai Cho, 25, who took part in an unofficial referendum on universal suffrage in Hong Kong. [Andrey Kovalenko/Al Jazeera]