Police Warn That March To Central Is Unauthorised

Police on Sunday issued a statement warning that a march by anti-extradition protesters between Causeway Bay and Central was unauthorised and that members of the public should leave the area immediately.

Thousands of protesters, some waving US flags and wearing the black shirts associated with the movement, had earlier gathered outside the Sogo department store in Causeway Bay in defiance of a police ban. Hennessy Road, the main thoroughfare in the area, was blocked to traffic, tram services were suspended and bus routes diverted.

Police also warned marchers from a footbridge in Wan Chai that they were taking part in an unauthorised assembly.

Last week police had asked for a ban on a Civil Human Rights Front march that had been planned for today along the same route. The front pulled out after an appeals board upheld the ban last Friday but protesters still answered online calls to "go for a stroll" between Causeway Bay and Central.

Police wanted the ban because many anti-extradition marches have ended in violence.

The two main department stores on Hennessy Road, Sogo and Hysan, have closed their doors, as has the large World Trade Centre mall on East Point Road.