The Latest: Riot police out in force for Hong Kong march
HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on the protests in Hong Kong (all times local):
4:30 p.m.
Thousands of people are taking to the streets of Hong Kong under the watch of riot police to demand more democracy and an investigation into the use of force to suppress the six-month-long anti-government demonstrations.
Both hardened protesters and parents with children were marching Sunday near Hong Kong’s waterfront on the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbour.
Many held up a hand to indicate the five demands of the movement.
Police in riot gear were out in force for the third march of the day — and the one where violence seemed most likely.
The protesters want to keep up pressure on city leader Carrie Lam after pro-democracy candidates won a landslide victory in a district council election a week ago.
Lam has said she’ll accelerate dialogue but has not yielded any ground since the vote.
___
12:55 p.m.
Hong Kong protesters carrying American flags and banners appealing to President Donald Trump are rallying in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
The pro-democracy protesters were planning to march Sunday to the U.S. Consulate to thank America for approving legislation last week that would sanction Hong Kong and Chinese officials for any human rights abuses in the city.
Some held banners reading “President Trump, please liberate Hong Kong” and “Let’s make Hong Kong great again.” One showed him standing atop a tank with his name emblazoned on the front and side.
A now withdrawn extradition bill set off protests in June against what many see as an erosion of rights and freedoms under China. The protesters are demanding full democracy and an investigation into police use of force during the demonstrations.
___
11:20 a.m.
About 200 people are marching against police use of tear gas as Hong Kong readies for a day of protests.
The group carried yellow balloons as they headed Sunday morning from Edinburgh Square to the nearby government headquarters.
Two other marches are scheduled for later in the day. The city has had two weeks of relative calm, though police skirmished with some protesters near a subway station on Saturday night.
One march will head to the American Consulate to thank the U.S. for approving legislation aimed at holding Hong Kong and Chinese officials accountable for any human rights abuses in the semi-autonomous territory.
Another has been called in the Tsim Sha Tsui district near Polytechnic University, the site of the last fierce clashes with police.
___
9 a.m.
China has accused the U.N. high commissioner for human rights of emboldening “radical violence” in Hong Kong by suggesting the city’s leader conduct an investigation into reports of excessive use of force by police.
The U.N. commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, wrote in an opinion piece Saturday in the South China Morning Post that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam’s government must prioritize “meaningful, inclusive” dialogue to resolve the crisis.
She urged Lam to hold an “independent and impartial judge-led investigation” into police conduct of protests. It has been one of key demands of pro-democracy demonstrations that have roiled the territory since June.
China’s U.N. mission in Geneva says Bachelet’s article exerts pressure on the government and will “only embolden the rioters to conduct more severe radical violence.”
