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| Hong Kong protests: Tens of thousands gather for major rally | Hong Kong protests: Tens of thousands gather for major rally |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Tens of thousands of people are holding another day of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, amid increasingly severe warnings by the Beijing authorities. | |
| A march on Saturday was peaceful, but demonstrators and police have clashed frequently over the past 10 weeks. | A march on Saturday was peaceful, but demonstrators and police have clashed frequently over the past 10 weeks. |
| The protests were sparked by an extradition bill, which has since been suspended by the Hong Kong government. | The protests were sparked by an extradition bill, which has since been suspended by the Hong Kong government. |
| China, which has built up security forces in nearby Shenzhen, has likened the protests to terrorist activity. | |
| The protest organisers, the Civil Rights Human Front, were denied authorisation for a march through the city, but police have allowed Sunday's demonstration in Victoria Park. | The protest organisers, the Civil Rights Human Front, were denied authorisation for a march through the city, but police have allowed Sunday's demonstration in Victoria Park. |
| The South China Morning Post newspaper tweeted a time lapse photo of the park filling up. | |
| Large crowds also gathered in the nearby areas of Admiralty, Causeway Bay and Wan Chai. The Civil Rights Human Front has called for the protest to be peaceful. | |
| How have recent protests unfolded? | |
| The violence has intensified in the past few weeks, with police frequently firing tear gas and rubber bullets. | |
| Last weekend activists occupied the airport, leading to hundreds of flights being cancelled. There were further clashes with police on Tuesday. | |
| The turmoil has plunged one of Asia's leading financial centres into crisis. Many businesses remained closed on Sunday, amid fears of further violence. | |
| What is Beijing saying? | |
| The Chinese government hardened its rhetoric following the latest unrest, condemning it as "behaviour that is close to terrorism". | |
| It was the second time in a week that Chinese officials have publicly likened the protests to terrorist activity. | |
| Some observers believe that the repeated use of such language suggests that China is losing patience with the protesters and signals that an intervention by Beijing is increasingly likely. | |
| What is the movement about? | |
| It was sparked by a bill that would allow extradition from Hong Kong the Chinese mainland. | |
| Critics argue that the proposal would undermine the territory's judicial independence and could be used to target those who speak out against the Chinese government. | Critics argue that the proposal would undermine the territory's judicial independence and could be used to target those who speak out against the Chinese government. |
| The former British colony has a special status, with its own legal system and judiciary, and rights and freedoms not seen in mainland China. | The former British colony has a special status, with its own legal system and judiciary, and rights and freedoms not seen in mainland China. |
| The bill - announced by the government in in February - was suspended following mass rallies in June. But the protesters want it withdrawn altogether. | The bill - announced by the government in in February - was suspended following mass rallies in June. But the protesters want it withdrawn altogether. |
| They are also demanding democratic reform and an investigation into alleged police brutality. | They are also demanding democratic reform and an investigation into alleged police brutality. |
| More background on the protests | |
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