Heavy Police Presence Thwarts Planned March

A heavy police presence in Jordan and Tsim Sha Tsui apparently thwarted plans for a pro-independence march on Sunday afternoon, but ‘singing’ protests nonetheless popped up at malls across the city, under the watchful eye of officers.

Officers were roaming the streets of Kowloon well ahead of the scheduled two o’clock start of the march – which was to have started in Jordan.

Many young people passing by were stopped and searched. Some had their identity cards checked.

Two girls who were stopped at the intersection of Jordan Road and Nathan Road was found to be carrying a number of goggles and gloves. Officers told them not to participate in any illegal activity, then let them go.

With scores of officers in the area, no crowd was able to gather, and the ‘march’ fizzled out before it even started.

A volunteer medic who went to the area in case any trouble broke out told RTHK she was also stopped and searched, along with other people who wore clothing identifying them as first-aiders.

But she complained that such searches were "unnecessary", as protesters wouldn't be "so stupid" to be caught with any protest materials on them.

Later in the afternoon, groups of mainly black-clad people gathered at malls across the territory – from Tuen Mun and Sha Tin to Tai Koo, Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui – to sing protest songs and yell anti-government slogans.

Police also kept a heavy presence in and outside of these shopping centres.

In Tsim Sha Tsui, officers cordoned off the Star Ferry pier outside Ocean Terminal, where protesters had gathered, drawing the ire of the surrounding crowd, who yelled insults at them.

Officers warned them that they may be in breach of social gathering restrictions – which were eased on Friday to allowing public gatherings of up to eight people, from the previous four.

At least one man in the area was taken to a police vehicle, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether he was being arrested.