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SCMP Reporters

The day after tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong, another massive rally happened at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay on Sunday afternoon.
Relief spread across the city as anti-government protests ended relatively peacefully on Saturday, with no tear gas fired, on the eleventh consecutive weekend of unrest.
Sunday’s protest organiser, the Civil Human Rights Front, had applied to the police for a march from Causeway Bay to Central. But police would only allow a rally within Victoria Park, saying the front could not ensure public safety given violence at recent protests.
Reporting by Phila Siu, Jeffie Lam, Karen Yeung, Ng Kang-chung, Linda Lew, Michelle Wong, Chris Lau, Su Xinqi and Danny Mok
 


As it happened: Estimated 1.7 million people attend peaceful Hong Kong anti-government rally

Hong Kong protests: latest advisories to help you plan your travel

News

Hong Kong

Politics

Allow more time for journeys around Hong Kong. Photo: Nora Tam


Against police orders, Hongkongers leave Victoria Park and take to the streets
Civil Human Rights Front, which is behind the biggest demonstrations against the extradition bill, had been banned from holding a march to Central



Organisers of biggest demonstrations against the extradition bill have been banned from holding associated march, but given all-clear to stage static protest within Victoria Park.


Hong Kong protests

Hong Kong extradition bill

Live

Mass protests erupted in June over the Hong Kong government’s now-shelved extradition bill, which would would have allowed criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China.
The administration dropped the draft legislation on June 15, with city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor later declaring it dead.
Since then protesters have escalated their campaign with street demonstrations and non-cooperative action, some of which have turned violent through clashes with police and those loyal to the government.


How we got here ...

The Chai Wan-bound train is completely swamped with black-clad protesters heading to Victoria Park in Causeway Bay.
Passengers at both Causeway Bay and Tin Hau stations are having to wait at least 15 minutes before they are able to exit.
There are also long queues of black-clad protesters in Central railway station.



MTR trains packed

Bonnie Leung, vice convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front, the rally organiser, says the Hong Kong government and Beijing have chosen the wrong tactics if they want the protests to gradually die down.
She says Victoria Park can only take 100,000 protesters but the front has anticipated more than that.
Police have denied their applications for a march from the park to Central.
If there is chaos because the turnout is much bigger than how many the park can accommodate, police will be held responsible, Leung says.
She stresses that the rally today will remain peaceful.


Organisers predict crowds of more than 100,000

Some trains may skip Tin Hau because the station is so busy, says rail operator MTR Corporation, raising safety concerns.


Rail operator warns of station skipping

Tonny Chan, 32, says that since June 9 he has only attended protests held by the Civil Human Rights Front, the organisers of today’s rally, saying he is a supporter of non-violent action.
“The whole world is watching our struggle now and no one would like to see violent clashes,” he says. “I also do not want to see our young people giving up their future to defend us.”
He says adhering to peaceful demonstration is even more important in the wake of the airport protests.



Whole world is watching

At least four of the six football pitches in Victoria Park are filled with protesters.
Wearing the movement’s colour of black, demonstrators continue to stream into the Causeway Bay public space.
Rally organisers have started calling on latecomers to move into the lawn areas of the park.



Football pitch areas filling up

KMB will reroute 29 bus lines. Affected lines include 101,103,104,108,109, 113, 111, 112, 116, 115, 117, 170, 180, 307, 601, 680, 603, 619, 671, 673, 681, 690, 905, 914, 948, 960, 961, 968 and 978.


KMB to reroute buses

Causeway Bay is packed as huge crowds make their way to Victoria Park.




Arriving en masse

Billy Li, of the pro-democracy legal group Progressive Lawyers Group, says reports of the Chinese military gathering in Shenzhen, on the mainland China side of the border with Hong Kong, will not deter them.
“The government should not think we are abandoning our demands for setting up an independent commission of inquiry and investigate the abuses of the police.”


 


PLA in Shenzhen ‘will not stop us’

The east-bound section at Hennessy Road is closed due to the sheer volume of protesters making their way to Victoria Park.
People have also spilled into the westbound section of the road, which connects Wan Chai and Central with Causeway Bay.


Major road blocked

Sunday’s anti-government rally follows a major show of support for Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's administration on Saturday in Hong Kong Island.
“We condemn the violent acts by black-clad protesters armed with bricks and sticks,” said Ng Chau-pei of the Safeguard Hong Kong Alliance, a coalition of pro-government leaders in politics and business.
Organisers said 476,000 people were at the pro-government rally in Tamar Park on Saturday. Police said the crowd was 108,000 at its peak.
 


Pro-government support

Media mogul and owner of pro-democracy broadsheet Apple Daily Jimmy Lai Chee-ying says it is important for the rally to remain non-violent. “Else, we will lose people’s hearts,” he says. Lai also says the People’s Liberation Army should not be deployed to handle the protests as that will only prompt international sanctions against China.



Rally must remain non-violent

Our photographers are capturing the vast scale of the rally in Victoria Park, which organisers estimate will be attended by more than 100,000.





Photos: Sam Tsang, Warton Li, Felix Wong and May Tse


Another day of mass protest

Reading out the rally declaration, Civil Human Rights Front convenor Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit says while protesters have pressurised the government into suspending the extradition bill, Hong Kong police are carrying out Chinese-government-style suppression.
He criticised police for firing tear gas, rubber bullets and beanbag rounds on the protesters and even near elderly-care homes.
“The people of Hong Kong are outraged at the government and police,” he says. He says the fight will not be over even after the rally ends later today.
Photo: Nora Tam


'Police carrying out China-style suppression'

Protesters raise their umbrellas as the heavens open on Causeway Bay.

 


Rain on their parade

A group of protesters led by “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung and Lee Cheuk-yan, the pro-democracy campaigners, is marching outside of Victoria Park.
The park is the only area where the rally is authorised by police.
They are marching west-bound along Hennessy Road in heavy rain, appearing to head towards Sogo.
 


Splinter group starts marching 

Civil Human Rights Front convenor Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit slams the government for issuing a condemnation even before the rally started.
He says the front never targeted police, but the "dehumanised and illegal" deeds of some officers.
Sham says police have violated international standards of crowd control over the past few months.
It is only reasonable for people to demand an independent probe to look into their use of excessive force, as the Complaints Against Police Office is only an internal division of the force, he says.
“We want a fair mechanism to control police power, which will make sure the force does not turn into a monster,” he says.


'Police violated international standards'

A few shops are starting to close on Paterson Street, in Causeway Bay, an area known for its trendy clothing and restaurants.
A 22-year-old salesperson at a clothing shop for youngsters, who gives his name as Mr Chan, says shop owners have told employees to close early for safety reasons.
“There have been no customers from the mainland. But we should still keep the shop open to serve any Hong Kong customers,” he says.
A fashion sales assistant at another shop on the same street says business has been badly damaged and was told by his boss to close early.
 


‘No mainland customers’

The Hong Kong Observatory says a band of thundery showers with strong gusts is crossing Hong Kong.
Gusts reaching 90km/h or above may continue to affect the city, it adds.


Weather update

Protesters are marching in the direction of Wan Chai. Police have refused applications for marches leaving Victoria Park, where the only protest event sanctioned by police for the area is being held.
The head of the procession has reached Causeway Bay Fire Station.
Marshals say they are leaving Victoria Park so other protesters can enter the packed park to take part in the approved rally.
 


Protesters march towards Wan Chai 

Protesters are now sprawled across locations away from the authorised protest zone of Victoria Park.
They are in the following roads in Causeway Bay: Yee Wo Street, Pennington Street, Jardine’s Bazaar and Hennessy Road.
The first protesters, pictured below, have also reached Wan Chai after leaving Victoria Park.


 


Spreading out

Apparently unable to proceed, hundreds of protesters leaving the rally get stuck on Causeway Road, outside Victoria Park.

They chant "Open the road", demanding that police close more roads to traffic so they an proceed.


'Open the road'

MTR announces some services will not stop at Tin Hau and Fortress Hill station, while dedicated trains have been arranged to help passengers leave Tin Hau.
The move is due to large crowds in Causeway Bay, Tin Hau and Fortress Hill. The rail operator adds crowd management measures are in place. 
Bus routes are also suspended or changed.
Route 934 and 936 are temporarily stopped, while the following services are re-routed: 101, 102, 106, 103,104,108,109, 113, 111, 112, 116, 115, 117, 170, 180, 307, 601, 680, 603, 619, 671, 673, 681, 690, 905, 914, 948, 960, 961, 968 and 978.

 


Travel disruption

Among protesters marching under the pouring rain is Anthony Hau, 23, a City University social science student.
"I'm here because the government has refused to listen to our demands, even after all these protests," he says. "If we give up right now, I fear the government will become more authoritarian. I'm doing this for the next generation," he says.
He adds that he will join strikes after classes resume in September, saying "Hong Kong's future is more important than my studies".


'I fear the government will become more authoritarian'

Protesters are now also on Kai Chiu Road and Yun Ping Road, relatively narrow streets in Causeway Bay. Hennessy Road, the main thoroughfare, is fully jammed.
Some head in the direction of Times Square.
A little to the east, marchers have taken over Kings Road westbound. they are heading to Victoria Park, having got off at Fortress Hill MTR station because trains did not stop at Tin Hau or Causeway Bay.



Taking over the roads

Protesters have also taken over part of Gloucester Road, a main road which runs along the north of Hong Kong Island.




Marching on Gloucester Road

The head of the march has now reached Admiralty, near the government headquarters and the legislature.
Former legislator "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung and pro-democracy media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying are among protesters outside Pacific Place shopping mall.


March arrives at Admiralty

Hennessy Road is a sea of umbrellas.

While many have left Victoria Park in the direction of Wan Chai, a huge crowd is streaming into the park from the opposite direction, to get to the start point.
 


Sea of umbrellas

A police source confirms to the Post that two of the force's three anti-riot vehicles – which are equipped with water cannons – are on standby at a secret site on Hong Kong Island.
The source refuses to reveal where the two vehicles are parked. The water cannons are meant for dispersal of crowds but there are concerns they could inflict serious harm if not used properly.
The vehicles were road-tested earlier this month, and officers demonstrated their use to legislators.


Water cannon trucks on standby

Protester Alan Kwan is walking from Central to Victoria Park, in the opposite direction to the rest of the march, because the crowd in Central is too big and he could not get on a train.

Asked if he is afraid police will use water cannons or the army will be mobilised, he says that if Hongkongers are afraid of that and avoid taking to the streets, then the battle is already lost.


Swimming against the tide

Police post on social media that a public meeting is under way in Victoria Park and both Causeway Road and Hennessy Road are  occupied by people heading towards Admiralty. 
“The police appeal to the public to mind their own safety and the drivers to stay tuned to the latest traffic arrangements,” the force writes.
Report room services at Wan Chai Police Station are temporarily suspended.


Police statement

Labour Party leader Lee Cheuk-yan appealed to the crowd to leave after the head of the procession he jointly led arrived in Chater Garden in Central.
The garden was the end point for a march proposed by the Civil Human Rights Front, which they wanted to start in Victoria Park.
But the march element of their plans was banned by police.
 

Addressing demonstrators, Lee says the economy is struggling because of the government's failure to listen to people's demands, rather than as a result of the protests.
He adds the massive turnout is a slap in the face for Carrie Lam and showed that Hongkongers are not afraid of the Chinese military, with armed police again seen conducting riot drills over the border in Shenzhen.
 
 


Party leader calls for crowds to leave 

Traffic heading west on Gloucester Road is now entirely paralysed, with that portion taken over by protesters.


Gloucester Road update

In Wan Chai, the sea of protesters parts to make way for an ambulance. Earlier this week, some protesters were criticised for disrupting rescue operations at the airport.


Letting an ambulance through

KMB has suspended seven routes, namely the 103, 307, 603, 673, 681, 934 and 936 services.
Routes 101, 108, 109, 111, 113, 102, 106, 104, 107, 112, 116, 115, 182, 117, 170, 601, 619, 680, 690, 671, 905, 960, 914, 948, 961, 968 and 978 are diverted.


Bus update

A 601 bus which had been heading west on Gloucester Road has to make a U-turn after protesters spill onto to all five westbound lanes. pic.twitter.com/ZMciFnfbf6
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) August 18, 2019


Not the kind of U-turn the protesters were after

Here is the scene on Lockhart Road in Wan Chai, at the junction with Marsh Road.



The view from Wan Chai

Some MTR trains have resumed stops at Tin Hau after earlier services passed through as part of crowd control measures.
However, a proportion of trains on the Island line continue to skip Causeway Bay, Tin Hau and Fortress Hill stations.
MTR Corporation earlier said the changes were due to “public activities and raining outside”.
 


Service reductions on Island line 

Hours after the rally started, Victoria Park remains packed, with four football pitches filled with protesters.
Gloucester Road, which runs along the western stretch of the park, is busy with people trying to join the rally, as pictured below.
There is also a sea of people in Causeway Road, which borders the park as well.



Victoria Park still heaving

In Causeway Bay, Eric Tsoi and his friend have been directing right-turning traffic onto Shell Street from Kings Road for at least an hour. They had planned to go to Victoria Park for the rally but decided to stop and help.
"I wouldn't have to do this if the police were doing their job properly," the 45-year-old says.

Tsoi, who works in sales, has been to various rallies and marches in the past two months. He is unhappy that the government has not responded to people's demands.
"I feel disappointed and angry. So I will keep stepping out," he says.


Traffic volunteers

Rally-goers have helped clear out shelves in a bakery as they take a break in Times Square shopping centre.



Time out

Protesters are still trying to get out of a very crowded Victoria Park, after attending the rally.
On Moreton Terrace, next to the Central Library, protester May Chan says: "There are so many people. It took me almost two hours to pass through the park and the roads to get here.
"The whole thing has been peaceful. There is no excuse for the police to use force," says Chan, an office clerk who lives in Sha Tin, who came to the rally with a friend.
"I hope the government can satisfy people's demands. Otherwise, Hongkongers will keep taking to the streets," she says.


Back in Victoria Park...

Protesters are packing Hennessy Road in both directions outside Sogo department store. The crowd is barely moving, leaving people stuck in the heavy rain.


Gridlock

You can follow the latest images from different parts of today's protest on this SCMP Facebook live.



Latest footage

New World First Bus and Citybus announce that 31 routes are suspended while 58 routes are diverted.
The suspended lines are 2X, 5B, 5X, 8, 8P, 8H, 11, 12, 12A, 12M, 13, 15B, 23, 25, 25A, 26, 77, 99, 102, 103, 106, 112, 116, 118, 260, 671, 789, H1, H2, W1 and X15.
The diverted services are 1, 2, 6, 6X, 8X, 10, 15, 19, 37A, 37B, 38, 40, 40M, 42, 65, 70, 72, 72A, 75, 76, 81, 88R, 90, 90B, 96, 97, 101,104, 109, 111, 113, 115, 117, 170, 182, 307, 592, 601, 619, 680, 681, 690, 720, 722, 780, 788, 905, 914, 930, 930X, 948, 962B, 962X, 967, 969, A11, E11 and E11A.


Another bus update

Students Alex Ngau Chi-hang (right) and Cheong Chi-wing (left), both 19, are still trying to reach Victoria Park after getting off the MTR at Wan Chai.

Ngau slams the police arrangement for the day as "idiotic". He says a failure to plan properly, including shutting down the nearest train stations, has caused protesters to criss-cross each other, causing congestion everywhere.
He does not hide his increasing pessimism about the situation, noting that city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor earlier referred to young protesters as having no stake in society. He defends young people, saying they contribute to society in a way Lam fails to appreciate.
The pair say they have thought about leaving the city.
"But even if we move to Taiwan, which is similar to Hong Kong culturally, it's not the same," Cheong says.
"I will not feel I belong there as much as I do here."


Criticism of police arrangements

Crowds on Kings Road, near Fortress Hill MTR station, start to dwindle. People are walking in both directions.



Fortress Hill quieter

Thousands of protesters are still marching from Causeway Bay to Central.

Some are marching via Harcourt Road past the city government's headquarters.



Still on the march

On the section of Causeway Road outside Victoria Park, and under the now-occupied Moreton Terrace flyover, crowds remain thick.

But people are moving less slowly than they were an hour ago.


Victoria Park still busy

Protests against the Hong Kong government were not confined to Hong Kong this weekend.
Thousands of people demonstrated in Canada, Britain and Australia in support of the city's democracy movement.
Some in attendance ended up facing off against vocal pro-Beijing rallies.
You can read more on the overseas protests here.


Going global

KMB has suspended all routes via the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, and nine other services, namely the 307, 603, 673, 681, 914, 934, 936 and 948.
Twelve routes are diverted, including the 601, 619, 671, 680, 690, 905, 960, 914, 948, 961, 968 and 978.


Cross-harbour buses pulled

Protesters seek supplies inside Hysan Place mall.
A salesperson at CPU shoe shop says that, since the heavy rain started at about 3pm, there has been a constant flow of customers buying flip flops.
"Our sales today are even better than at Lunar New Year," she says.


Good day for flip flops

As protesters continue to march from Causeway Bay to Sheung Wan, no police officers can be seen along the route, except outside Beijing’s liaison office.
Hundreds of riot police are on guard on Connaught Road West off Centre Street in Sai Wan, about one block east of the office, which was attacked and defaced during a previous protest.

But most protesters are staying in Central once they arrive there. A small group walked all the way to Sheung Wan MTR station, but did not go towards the liaison office.


Protecting the liaison office

Outside police headquarters on Arsenal Street, Wan Chai, protesters yell "black cops" and "triads". Some point laser beams at the building complex.

No police are on guard outside the premises, which is heavily guarded by water barricades. Some officers are staying alert inside.



Abuse for police

There is a major jam inside and outside Sogo department store in Causeway Bay, as protesters walk in various directions.

Some try to go to Victoria Park, others want to get inside the store for a break.
Many luxury stores on the second floor are closed.

 


Sogo no-go

As night falls, crowds on Causeway Road outside Victoria Park are thinning out. Westbound traffic has restarted, although eastbound lanes remain blocked.

Crowds are still taking up Hennessy Road from Causeway Bay to Central, as well as Queensway and Harcourt Road from Admiralty to Central and part of Connaught Road Central.
On Harcourt Road, protesters stream peacefully past Admiralty Centre, occasionally chanting slogans. No police are in sight.

Many protesters, after arriving in Central, turn back in the direction of Causeway Bay. Some gather at different places in Central, with a few heading to Sheung Wan, though not all the way to the liaison office.
 


The current situation

Another police statement

A makeshift booth dispensing coins to help protesters buy single journey tickets at Admiralty. Demonstrators have been wary of using their Octopus cards for fear of being traced by the authorities. Follow our live coverage: https://t.co/b8G6ZY4uVZ
Video by @Tominmedill pic.twitter.com/GoAJIOTITr
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) August 18, 2019


Just the ticket

Happening now: Protesters on Harcourt Road are pointing laser beams at police headquarters. Such repeated acts in the past have attracted a police response. #antiEALB #HongKongProtesters pic.twitter.com/Inoa0Uo3jl
— SCMP Hong Kong (@SCMPHongKong) August 18, 2019


The beams are back

KMB will arrange special 101 buses from 7.45pm, to carry passengers between Canal Road East in Wan Chai and the Cross-Harbour Tunnel toll plaza in Hung Hom – essentially from one end of the tunnel to the other.
All other buses via the tunnel remain suspended.


Tunnel buses

Below is a map showing what happened during today's march.
The yellow lines show where marchers stuck to the pavement, the orange lines show where they took over some of the road, and the red lines show where they took up the whole road. 
The boxes show the six football pitches in Victoria Park, which were packed for most of the day (in red) and the central lawn, which was packed for a few hours (in orange).

Marked to the west are the Central Government Offices, which are the city government's HQ, and the army garrison next to them.


How the march panned out

Protesters are still marching from Causeway Bay to Central, which is now relatively quiet.

Unlike during previous protests, they have not set up any blockades, in keeping with the Civil Human Rights Front’s wish that today's event be peaceful.



Still heading to Central

After disruption earlier in the day, MTR services are back to normal.

Normality has also returned to Gloucester Road, which has no protesters on it. Marchers are only heading down Hennessy Road.


MTR back to normal

On Harcourt Road, protesters chase and surround a man in a red T-shirt, said to be from Fujian province. Pro-Beijingers from the province have recently clashed with protesters.

