Demonstrators return to the streets of Hong Kong to protest extradition bill

The streets of Hong Kong were once again filled with tens of thousands of protesters on Wednesday, as they demonstrated against a controversial bill that would allow the extradition of people arrested in Hong Kong to mainland China.

The protesters jammed Lung Wo Road, near the offices of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, and put up barricades so drivers couldn't get to the financial center. There are hundreds of riot police on the scene, and they have been using pepper spray and water cannons to push some of the demonstrators back, The New York Times reports.

Hong Kong's legislature had planned on debating the bill on Wednesday, but postponed the action after throngs of protesters surrounded the council's complex. Multiple groups are united against the bill, including students, teachers, and business leaders who worry about the creeping influence of Beijing. After decades of British rule, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997, with the understanding there would be "one country, two systems." Hong Kong has its own independent justice system, while China's courts are controlled by the Communist Party.

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