Protesters Call For 'one Nation, One Hong Kong'

Around a hundred protesters gathered at the IFC mall in Central at lunchtime on Friday, warning that Hong Kong no longer has any autonomy due to increasing interference from the central government.

The protest came after lawmakers on Thursday passed legislation to make mocking the national anthem a criminal offence, and as Beijing prepares a national security law for the SAR.

The demonstrators' chants were different to those at previous lunchtime protests, with calls for "one nation, one Hong Kong", to support the idea of Hong Kong independence.

The crowd then marched through the mall, chanting, and singing the protest anthem "Glory to Hong Kong".

One protester, who gave her surname as Wong, held up a poster which said “one country, one system”.

Wong said she thinks Hong Kong is no longer a safe place. "Before they [said] one country, two systems. But I think at this moment, it's one country, one system."

Another protester, surnamed Ho, said the new national anthem law shows that freedoms in Hong Kong are narrowing.

Another protester shared this view, saying he is considering leaving Hong Kong because of Beijing's "shocking" influence on local affairs.