'Hundreds Of Thousands' Join Kowloon March

Organisers say as many as 230,000 anti-extradition protesters have joined a march through the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui to let visitors from the mainland know why Hongkongers have been campaigning against changes to the extradition law.

Police put turnout at 56,000.

March organisers told people to leave the end point of the rally, the West Kowloon high-speed rail terminus, immediately, in line with police instructions. They were encouraged to head to other areas popular with mainland tourists to spread the anti-extradition message. Some continued to distribute leaflets in nearby Canton Road, watched by police in the heavy rain.

Some protesters began to occupy parts of Austin Road West, which leads to West Kowloon Station. The crowds near the station grew more rowdy as the protest continued, with some hurling insults and making barking noises in a stand off with police officers.

"The Chinese people and the Hong Kong people are living under the same authoritarian government, the same Communist Party," said one protester who joined the march. "I believe there are many people in China seeking democratic government."

Some marchers chanted in Mandarin rather than Cantonese, in the hope mainland visitors would hear them. Some of the literature handed out used the simplified Chinese normally found on the mainland or included QR codes, often used in payment apps, to connect people to anti-extradition literature.

One, Hilda Wong, said: "We believe that chanting in Mandarin is the quickest and most direct way to let [visitors] know what is going on in Hong Kong, what our concerns are and what is this place they are actually spending money in, that they are so passionate about. What is actually happening here."

People carried banners calling for the full withdrawal of the now-suspended extradition amendments, as well as the release of arrested protesters. There were also signs calling for the release of human rights lawyers detained on the mainland.

One new demand was also on display near the front of the march: the dissolution of the Legislative Council by executive order, so "genuine universal suffrage" for the legislature and the chief executive can be implemented immediately.

Police approved the march with several conditions, including that protesters do not bring along any items that can be used as a weapon.

Umbrellas with "sharp edges" were specifically referenced as a banned item, although many protesters were seen sheltering under umbrellas as rain began.

There was a heavy police presence at the West Kowloon Terminus, with large water-filled barriers surrounding the site. The MTR Corporation suspended ticket sales for high-speed rail services to and from the station from midday on Sunday, and most entrances and exits to the building were closed.

Ventus Lau, the march organiser, said they had done their best to ensure the march would be peaceful. But, he added: "This is not just the responsibility of the organisers, but also the responsibility of the police officers."

He said the use of heavy barriers around the station was "not reasonable and not proportionate to our peaceful protest", adding: "I'm afraid that this kind of barrier will block the road and make the space even smaller and narrower, then it will be very difficult for protesters to leave, and safety will be a very big concern for us."

Some tour operators said they would avoid the area on Sunday.

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