2019 Hong Kong Protests

The 2019 Hong Kong protests, also known as the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (ELAB) Movement, are an ongoing series of demonstrations in Hong Kong which began with the aim to oppose the introduction of the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill proposed by the Hong Kong government. If enacted, the bill would allow local authorities to detain and extradite criminal fugitives who are wanted in territories with which Hong Kong does not currently have extradition agreements, including Taiwan and mainland China. People were concerned that the bill would subject Hong Kong residents and visitors to the mainland Chinese jurisdiction, undermining the autonomy of the region and its civil liberties. As the protests progressed, the protesters laid out five key demands, which include investigation into the alleged police misconduct and resumption of democratic reforms which are promised in the Basic Law but have stagnated since the 2014 Umbrella Revolution. The Chinese central government has described the protests as "the worst crisis in Hong Kong" since thehandover in 1997.

Demonstrations against the bill began in March and April and turned into continuing mass movements in June.[32][33] Hundreds of thousands of people marched calling for the withdrawal of the bill on 9 June.[34][35][36][37] A day later, Chief Executive Carrie Lam vowed to push ahead with the extradition bill despite huge protest.[38][39][40][41] On 12 June, the day on which the bill was scheduled for a second reading in the Legislative Council, the protests showed a sharp escalation in violence. Riot police deployed tear gas and rubber bullets, but protesters successfully stalled the functioning of the legislature.[42] On 16 June, one day after Carrie Lam suspended the bill, a huge march took place. The organisers claimed that two million people participated, while the police reported that 338,000 people marched at its peak.[43][44][45][46]

On 1 July, the 22nd anniversary of the handover, hundreds of thousands of people participated in the annual July march.[47] A portion of these demonstrators split from the march and broke into the Legislative Council Complex, vandalising central government symbols.[48] Subsequently, the protests have continued throughout the summer, escalating into increasingly violent confrontations involving the police, activists on both sides, suspected triad gangs, and local residents in all districts throughout the region.[49] 21 July marked the Yuen Long attack where organised triad members assaulted protesters and bystanders, which heightened the tension. Subsequent police operations and alleged misconduct prompted a general strike and a city-wide protests on 5 August. About 1.7 million people (organisers' estimate) also attended a rally condemning police brutality on 18 August.[50] Inspired by the Baltic Way, an estimated 210,000 people created "The Hong Kong Way", a human chain 50 kilometres long. There were also pro-police rallies that attracted hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents.

Lam suspended the extradition bill on 15 June and declared the bill "dead" on 9 July, but fell short of a promise to withdraw it until 4 September. However, she refused to concede to any of the other four demands, namely an independent inquiry on police brutality, the release of arrested protesters, a complete retraction of the official characterisation of the protests as "riots", and her resignation along with the introduction of universal suffrage for election of the Legislative Council and the Chief Executive.

Large-scale demonstrations occurred on the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, with an 18-year-old student protester shot by police on 1 October. Attempting to curb protests, the Chief Executive in Council invoked the Emergency Regulations Ordinance on 4 October to implement an anti-mask law.

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