Retirees and secondary-school children came together Saturday in Hong Kong to protest what they see as China’s creeping interference in Hong Kong since the territory was returned to China by Britain in 1997.
“I have seen so much police brutality and unlawful arrests,” said a 71-year-old woman in Hong Kong’s Central district, who only gave her name as Ponn. “This is not the Hong Kong I know.”
The young and the elderly listened to pro-democracy activists in the city’s Chater Garden, one of several planned weekend rallies.
The demonstrations in Hong Kong have become increasingly violent over the months as protesters vented their frustrations.
The mood in Hong Kong has changed, however, since local elections last week gave pro-democracy politicians a big win.
Some of the demonstrators Saturday carried American flags, in support of newly signed bi-partisan U.S. legislation supporting pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.
Carrie Lam has called for the current mood to be maintained, but she has refused to give in to protesters’ demands, including free elections for her position and an independent investigation into alleged police brutality.