Protesters Band Together To Stop Self-harm

Some anti-extradition bill opponents are calling on their fellow protesters not to harm themselves out of desperation, saying togetherness is their strength and losing someone will weaken it.

Social welfare experts have been warning that some youngsters involved in the ongoing extradition bill protests are reaching dangerous levels of desperation, even leading some to self-harm.

This was brought to focus again on Wednesday after a man posted messages on social media saying he was going to hurt himself, prompting a search by pro-democracy lawmakers and dozens of volunteers who had read his posts.

After several hours, the man was found safe and well in Central.

It is not worth losing one more life for this kind of corrupt system of government, said one protester, who left work to join the search for the man.

"I hope people who have doubts, negative minds, please talk it out," he said.

Civic Party lawmaker Jeremy Tam, who also joined the search, said he hopes that no matter how dejected people feel, they know they are not alone.

Another protester who volunteered to join the search said she feels the sheer number of demonstrators is their biggest strength and she doesn't want this to change.

"We don't have any physical weapons. The only weapon we have to make the government move is the number of our people to make them notice us," she said. "So if we lose someone, we are actually losing some of our strength."