511 people arrested at Hong Kong's democracy protest

Hong Kong police arrested hundreds of demonstrators at a pro-democracy sit-in early Wednesday morning.

Tuesday marked the 17th anniversary of Britain handing over Hong Kong to China, and tens of thousands of protesters marched through the streets to demand full electoral freedom. Following what the BBC termed "the city's largest democracy rally in a decade," hundreds of protesters staged the sit-in in Hong Kong's business district. Police deemed the sit-in "unauthorized," leading to the arrests.

BBC News reports that a total of 511 people were arrested for "illegal assembly and obstructing police officers."

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"All of us here fight for democracy, fight for universal suffrage," protester Edward Fung told BBC News. Beijing has promised to introduce universal suffrage for Hong Kong's 2017 election — but says it needs to approve every candidate first.