Three Arrested After Huge Rally In Central

At least three men were arrested outside Hong Kong station in Central on Monday night after tens of thousands of anti-government protesters attended a rally in Chater Garden.

One of the arrested men was seen shoving a trolley towards a police van as officers were leaving the station. Officers also stopped and searched people at Central MTR station.

Major roads around Exchange Square were blocked by barricades set up by protesters after the rally ended at 9pm.

The protesters were among tens of thousands of demonstrators who attended a rally in Chater Garden on Monday night, calling on the US to pass the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 that would sanction officials who undermine people's rights in the SAR.

Organisers say more than 130,000 people took part.

The US Congress is due to discuss the bill soon. The crowd swelled to spill over to block nearby roads in Central. Many of the participants defied a police warning and wore face masks, even though rally organisers had asked them not to.

One protester, Stephy Wong, said it's time for other countries to help the movement given the Hong Kong government's refusal to agree to their five demands.

Some parents brought their children along, including one mother, who told RTHK why her son needed to understand what was going on.

"Many people may think that it's very dangerous to bring him here, but I really want him to know and get involved in this incident because we are all ...fighting for his future - not only for our future," she said.

The government issued a statement saying it regretted the assembly. It said foreign legislatures should not interfere in the SAR's internal affairs. It also said Hong Kong attached great importance to human rights and freedom and was determined to safeguard them.

The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 would require annual assessments of whether the SAR is sufficiently autonomous from Beijing to justify its unique treatment under US law. It moved through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee late last month.

Beijing has strongly objected to the bill, which also calls for sanctions against individuals responsible for "abducting and torturing" human rights activists in Hong Kong, and said it would fight back against any US actions that harm the country's interest.

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