Protesters relent after night of blockading Hong Kong police headquarters
Thousands of protesters blockaded police headquarters in Hong Kong on Friday evening as part of continuing protests against a proposed extradition bill that the government has since suspended in an attempt to restore normalcy to the city. Most of the crowd, which was comprised of many young people and students, had dispersed as of Saturday, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The demonstrators were also calling for police to take responsibility for the use of tear gas and projectiles to break up previous mass protests in the city. The police said the gathering, which led to road closures, delayed their response to emergency calls, and later argued that their means of expression had teetered into illegal territory. Some residents complained that the road closures made it difficult to get around the city.
Hong Kong Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng rejected calls to investigate police brutality during the earlier protests, though she did reiterate the government's apology for its handling of the extradition bill.
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The bill would allow felony suspects in Hong Kong to be extradited to mainland China, which the protesters argue threatens Hong Kong's rule of law and could possibly subject the suspects to unfair trials and torture. It is unclear if more protests will take place.
