Extradition Law Protesters Swarm Revenue Tower

Dozens of protesters flooded into the lobby of Revenue Tower in Wan Chai on Monday lunchtime, chanting slogans against the police and the extradition law bill the government has suspended but not withdrawn.

The demonstrators gathered outside Legco earlier in the day and after a brief discussion they agreed to head from there to Wan Chai.

Most were dressed in black, with many wearing masks, while one carried a large British flag as they marched to the government building.

On arrival, they started a sit-in protest in the lobby, but still leaving a minimum amount of space to allow people to leave the building. Staff heading out for lunch were also able to leave via the car park.

One government worker was seen arguing with protesters over the restricted access to the tower.

But other people who struggled to get in said they understood the reason for the protest and were just happy that the demonstrators weren't resorting to any violence.

"I will wait for a while and go inside later," said a man who gave his name as Ali. "Actually I like [the protesters] because they are fighting for their freedoms," he added.

There were no police officers visible at the scene.

One of the protesters told RTHK that the sit-in was part of a non-cooperation movement to try to force the government to respond to the people's demands.

"We had protests with a million people, two million people and the government didn't listen to us," he said.

Similar action last Friday saw protesters – albeit in much larger numbers – block major roads before moving on to various government offices without warning.

They also laid siege to the police headquarters throughout the day, before dispersing peacefully in the early hours of Saturday.

It wasn't clear how long Monday's protesters planned to stay at Revenue Tower or whether they would move elsewhere.

They are demanding the complete withdrawal of the extradition bill, that police be held accountable for violence at a protest on June 12, that charges be dropped against demonstrators arrested that day, and that authorities stop using the term "riot" to describe the clashes that took place.