Hundreds of protesters faced off with riot police early on Monday, the anniversary of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule, ahead of an annual rally that is expected to draw huge crowds amid widespread anger over a controversial extradition bill. Police sprayed pepper spray to disperse the demonstrators in the latest protests over the extradition bill, which would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party. The bill, which the government was forced to suspend after the largest and most violent protests in decades, has plunged the Asian financial center into political turmoil.

Anniversary Protests Begin In Hong Kong

In this videos, Journalist, Atul Aneja speaks to WION over Hong Kong protests.

Hong Kong protesters demand complete withdrawal of bill

Hong Kong on Sunday, June 16 woke up to a calm morning before anti-extradition law protesters take to the street once again to convey their stance against the controversial bill. Watch this video to know more.

Hong Kong protesters: Chief Executive Lam must go

Hong Kong on Sunday (June 16) woke up to a calm morning before anti-extradition law protesters take to the street once again to convey their stance against the controversial bill.

Hong Kong | The Extradition bill | The march of mass protest and anger

Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through Hong Kong on Sunday to voice their opposition to government-sponsored legislation that would allow people to be extradited to mainland China to face charges.

Massive extradition bill protest fills HK streets

Hong Kong witnessed the largest protest since its 1997 handover to China on Sunday as huge crowds massed against plans to allow extraditions to the mainland, a proposal that has plunged the city's pro-Beijing leaders into a crisis.

Organisers said more than a million people marched in blazing summer heat through the cramped streets of the financial hub's main island in a noisy, colourful demonstration calling on the government to scrap its planned extradition law.

The demonstration was by far the biggest the international finance hub has experienced since it was returned to China by Britain -- beaten only by a 1.5 million-strong demonstration during colonial rule in 1989 supporting the Tiananmen protesters.

Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leaders are pushing a bill through the legislature that would allow extraditions to any jurisdiction with which it does not already have a treaty -- including mainland China.

But the proposals have sparked an outcry and birthed an opposition that unites a wide cross-section of the city.

"If mainland China can arbitrarily extradite some people to the mainland, it would destroy not only our way of living here in Hong Kong, it would also destroy our economy, because many people would leave this place," protester Tommy Lo told AFP.&nbsp;

For more than six hours on Sunday dense crowds snaked their way through the city chanting "Scrap the evil law!" and "Oppose China extradition!", the lines of white-dressed demonstrators stretching for miles.

"There are 1,030,000 people at today's march," an organiser told crowds outside the city's legislature at the march's end, prompting a cacophony of cheers and applause as new people arrivals continued to join.&nbsp;

Police, who historically give much lower figures than organisers, put the peak crowd size at 240,000 -- still their second highest estimate since handover.&nbsp;

Sunday's protest was easily on par with one in 2003 when an estimated half a million demonstrators forced the government to shelve a deeply unpopular national security law.

Will crowds sway leaders?

But it is unclear if the city's current leadership will be moved.&nbsp;

The city's appointed leader Carrie Lam has staked her political reputation on the bill passing.

Ignoring the protests could fuel anger or even a return to the unrest of 2014 when pro-democracy protesters took over key intersections of the city for two months. Organisers said Sunday they would "upgrade their actions" if the government did not drop the bill. &nbsp;

But backtracking by Lam might embolden opponents and anger Beijing. Several senior Communist Party leaders in China have voiced support for the bill.

Opposition to extradition has come from a wide political and social spectrum.&nbsp;

Lawyers have held sombre marches dressed in black, anonymous senior judges have given critical media interviews and the city's two main legal groups -- the Law Society and the Bar Association -- have urged a rethink.

Chambers of commerce are also rattled, adding to criticism from the United States, Canada, former colonial power Britain and many European governments.

Hong Kong's leaders say the law is needed to plug loopholes and stop the city being a bolthole for mainland fugitives.

They say dissidents and critics will not be extradited and have urged the bill's quick passage to extradite a Hong Kong man who is wanted in Taiwan for murdering his girlfriend.

But critics fear the law would entangle people in China's opaque and politicised court system and say the government is using the Taiwan case as a Trojan Horse.

The proposed law has been fast-tracked through the city's government-dominated legislature and on Wednesday it will receive its second reading, with plans to have the law on the statute books by late July.

Fading trust

In recent weeks Lam's administration has made some key concessions.

They have removed nine economic crimes from a list of extraditable offences and said only offences that carry seven years or more in jail will be considered, up from three. Requests will only be considered from China's top prosecuting authority.

Those steps have received a cautious welcome from some business groups, but others have seized on the concessions as a tacit admission that China's courts are not impartial.

Many protesters on Sunday said they no longer trust the Hong Kong government to stick to promises that critics would never be sent to the mainland.

Suspicion of China was worsened by a series of high profile disappearances of people who later appeared in mainland detention, including a group of dissident publishers and a billionaire who disappeared from a top hotel.

Protester Leo Yuen, who said he worked in the arts sector, described the disappearances as "horrifying".

"You can foresee how easily this would happen again if the bill is passed," he told AFP.&nbsp;

Hong Kong witnessed the largest protest since its 1997 handover to China on Sunday as huge crowds massed against plans to allow extraditions to the mainland, a proposal that has plunged the city's pro-Beijing leaders into a crisis.

Hong Kong witnessed the largest protest since its 1997 handover to China on Sunday as huge crowds massed against plans to allow extraditions to the mainland, a proposal that has plunged the city's pro-Beijing leaders into a crisis. Organisers said more than a million people marched in blazing summer heat through the cramped streets of the financial hub's main island in a noisy, colourful demonstration calling on the government to scrap its planned extradition law. The demonstration was by far the biggest the international finance hub has experienced since it was returned to China by Britain -- beaten only by a 1.5 million-strong demonstration during colonial rule in 1989 supporting the Tiananmen protesters. Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leaders are pushing a bill through the legislature that would allow extraditions to any jurisdiction with which it does not already have a treaty -- including mainland China. But the proposals have sparked an outcry and birthed an opposition that unites a wide cross-section of the city. "If mainland China can arbitrarily extradite some people to the mainland, it would destroy not only our way of living here in Hong Kong, it would also destroy our economy, because many people would leave this place," protester Tommy Lo told AFP. For more than six hours on Sunday dense crowds snaked their way through the city chanting "Scrap the evil law!" and "Oppose China extradition!", the lines of white-dressed demonstrators stretching for miles. "There are 1,030,000 people at today's march," an organiser told crowds outside the city's legislature at the march's end, prompting a cacophony of cheers and applause as new people arrivals continued to join. Police, who historically give much lower figures than organisers, put the peak crowd size at 240,000 -- still their second highest estimate since handover. Sunday's protest was easily on par with one in 2003 when an estimated half a million demonstrators forced the government to shelve a deeply unpopular national security law. Will crowds sway leaders? But it is unclear if the city's current leadership will be moved. The city's appointed leader Carrie Lam has staked her political reputation on the bill passing. Ignoring the protests could fuel anger or even a return to the unrest of 2014 when pro-democracy protesters took over key intersections of the city for two months. Organisers said Sunday they would "upgrade their actions" if the government did not drop the bill. But backtracking by Lam might embolden opponents and anger Beijing. Several senior Communist Party leaders in China have voiced support for the bill. Opposition to extradition has come from a wide political and social spectrum. Lawyers have held sombre marches dressed in black, anonymous senior judges have given critical media interviews and the city's two main legal groups -- the Law Society and the Bar Association -- have urged a rethink. Chambers of commerce are also rattled, adding to criticism from the United States, Canada, former colonial power Britain and many European governments. Hong Kong's leaders say the law is needed to plug loopholes and stop the city being a bolthole for mainland fugitives. They say dissidents and critics will not be extradited and have urged the bill's quick passage to extradite a Hong Kong man who is wanted in Taiwan for murdering his girlfriend. But critics fear the law would entangle people in China's opaque and politicised court system and say the government is using the Taiwan case as a Trojan Horse. The proposed law has been fast-tracked through the city's government-dominated legislature and on Wednesday it will receive its second reading, with plans to have the law on the statute books by late July. Fading trust In recent weeks Lam's administration has made some key concessions. They have removed nine economic crimes from a list of extraditable offences and said only offences that carry seven years or more in jail will be considered, up from three. Requests will only be considered from China's top prosecuting authority. Those steps have received a cautious welcome from some business groups, but others have seized on the concessions as a tacit admission that China's courts are not impartial. Many protesters on Sunday said they no longer trust the Hong Kong government to stick to promises that critics would never be sent to the mainland. Suspicion of China was worsened by a series of high profile disappearances of people who later appeared in mainland detention, including a group of dissident publishers and a billionaire who disappeared from a top hotel. Protester Leo Yuen, who said he worked in the arts sector, described the disappearances as "horrifying". "You can foresee how easily this would happen again if the bill is passed," he told AFP.

'Million march': Huge Hong Kong protest against China extradition law

Angry protesters gathered in Hong Kong on Friday after a city bookseller broke silence to reveal how he was blindfolded, interrogated and detained in China for eight months for trading titles critical of Beijing. 
 
In a surprise interview sure to infuriate Beijing, Lam Wing-kee late on Thursday vowed to break bail, refusing to return to the mainland, and further defied Chinese authorities by blowing the lid on how he was detained on a visit to China and interrogated for months with no access to a lawyer or his family. 
 
Lam Wing-kee is one of five booksellers who published salacious titles about leading Chinese politicians and disappeared at the end of last year in a case that drew international condemnation and heightened fears that Beijing was tightening its grip on Hong Kong. 
 
All of the men resurfaced in mainland China where four of them, including Lam, are under investigation for importing banned books into China.&nbsp; 
 
Lam returned to Hong Kong on Tuesday on bail and was due to go back on Thursday but instead decided to remain and tell his story. 
 
Around 40 protesters from pro-democracy party Demosisto gathered outside China&#39;s liaison office in Hong Kong on Friday shouting &quot;Defend the freedoms of Hong Kongers!&quot; 
 
&quot;We hope the world can put pressure on the government to release all of them (the booksellers),&quot; said activist Nathan Law who was leading the rally along with high-profile campaigner Joshua Wong.&nbsp; 
 
Wong called Lam a hero. 
 
&quot;Lam is the role model for Hong Kong people - facing the suppression of the communist regime,&quot; Wong said. 
 
Demosisto is a newly formed party calling for self-determination for semi-autonomous Hong Kong, part of a growing movement of young campaigners, seeking more autonomy from Beijing amid fears of disappearing freedoms. 
 
Other political groups are due to protest outside the liaison office throughout the day.&nbsp; 
 
Rights group Amnesty International slammed China&#39;s treatment of the booksellers, saying Lam had confirmed what many had suspected. 
 
&quot;It seems clear he, and most likely the others, were arbitrarily detained, ill-treated and forced to confess,&quot; said Mabel Au, director of Amnesty International Hong Kong. 
 
Lam told how his confession televised by Chinese state media in February was scripted and directed, and that he recited it out of fear of what would happen to him. 
 
Two more booksellers, Cheung Chi-ping and Lui Por returned to Hong Kong in March on bail, but are reported to have quickly gone back to the mainland. 
 
Their colleague Lee Bo, who says he went to China of his own free will and is helping mainland authorities with their inquiries, returned to Hong Kong for the first time in March but also then quickly went back. 
 
Lee&#39;s case caused the most outcry because he was the only bookseller who disappeared on Hong Kong soil, prompting allegations that Chinese enforcement agents were operating illegally in the city.&nbsp; 
 
Lam said Lee had told him he was taken to the mainland against his will.&nbsp; 
 
The fifth man, Swedish citizen Gui Minhai, remains in detention. 
(AFP)

Lam Wing-kee in an interview on Thursday vowed to break bail and refused to return to the mainland

Angry protesters gathered in Hong Kong on Friday after a city bookseller broke silence to reveal how he was blindfolded, interrogated and detained in China for eight months for trading titles critical of Beijing. In a surprise interview sure to infuriate Beijing, Lam Wing-kee late on Thursday vowed to break bail, refusing to return to the mainland, and further defied Chinese authorities by blowing the lid on how he was detained on a visit to China and interrogated for months with no access to a lawyer or his family. Lam Wing-kee is one of five booksellers who published salacious titles about leading Chinese politicians and disappeared at the end of last year in a case that drew international condemnation and heightened fears that Beijing was tightening its grip on Hong Kong. All of the men resurfaced in mainland China where four of them, including Lam, are under investigation for importing banned books into China. Lam returned to Hong Kong on Tuesday on bail and was due to go back on Thursday but instead decided to remain and tell his story. Around 40 protesters from pro-democracy party Demosisto gathered outside China's liaison office in Hong Kong on Friday shouting "Defend the freedoms of Hong Kongers!" "We hope the world can put pressure on the government to release all of them (the booksellers)," said activist Nathan Law who was leading the rally along with high-profile campaigner Joshua Wong. Wong called Lam a hero. "Lam is the role model for Hong Kong people - facing the suppression of the communist regime," Wong said. Demosisto is a newly formed party calling for self-determination for semi-autonomous Hong Kong, part of a growing movement of young campaigners, seeking more autonomy from Beijing amid fears of disappearing freedoms. Other political groups are due to protest outside the liaison office throughout the day. Rights group Amnesty International slammed China's treatment of the booksellers, saying Lam had confirmed what many had suspected. "It seems clear he, and most likely the others, were arbitrarily detained, ill-treated and forced to confess," said Mabel Au, director of Amnesty International Hong Kong. Lam told how his confession televised by Chinese state media in February was scripted and directed, and that he recited it out of fear of what would happen to him. Two more booksellers, Cheung Chi-ping and Lui Por returned to Hong Kong in March on bail, but are reported to have quickly gone back to the mainland. Their colleague Lee Bo, who says he went to China of his own free will and is helping mainland authorities with their inquiries, returned to Hong Kong for the first time in March but also then quickly went back. Lee's case caused the most outcry because he was the only bookseller who disappeared on Hong Kong soil, prompting allegations that Chinese enforcement agents were operating illegally in the city. Lam said Lee had told him he was taken to the mainland against his will. The fifth man, Swedish citizen Gui Minhai, remains in detention. (AFP)

Protests in Hong Kong over bookseller detention in China

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