Crowds Gather, Shops Shut For Mong Kok Protest

Hundreds of people gathered at Anchor Street Playground in Mong Kok on Saturday afternoon ahead of a planned anti-extradition march to Tai Kok Tsui, spilling out onto neighbouring Palm Street.

Young families and some elderly people were among the crowd, with British, Taiwanese and colonial flags flying above a sea of black-clad protesters.

The march was originally banned by police who argued that the proposed protest route, through the heart of Mong Kok, was too dangerous. But an appeal board overturned the force's decision on Friday night, saying the protest could go ahead as long as the organiser was willing to march through Tai Kok Tsui and end at Cherry Street Park instead.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the protest, the march organiser, Steve Ng, said he would try to negotiate with the police again if too many protesters deviated from the new route.

One of the protesters, who gave his name as Darren, said he was concerned there could be some trouble during the march, but he wanted to show his support for the cause as a Hongkonger.

"I have to say that I'm a little worried. Because I do believe that some protesters are using violent means to achieve whatever they see as success," he said.

Another protester, called Jon, said the government must start listening to the people if it wants to put an end to the turmoil.

"I think they've handled it horribly. They've been very, very cowardly in hiding behind the police. They haven't been willing to face the demands of the people, even after one million, two million came out on the streets," he said.

The majority of shops around the Anchor Street Playground closed ahead of the start of rally. Some of them posted notices on their doors, saying they had been advised by the police to shut.

A few of the shops which remained opened told reporters they didn’t believe protesters would damage their shops or do anything to deliberately harm their business.

Residents who live in the area, meanwhile, said security had been tightened in their buildings and they weren't concerned that violence would break out in the area.

Security had also been beefed up at Mong Kok Police Station nearby. Officers could been seen patrolling the entrance, and the gates around the station had been strengthened.