Protesters are filling the streets of Hong Kong, joined by civil servants, teachers, pilots, construction workers, and others participating in a general strike across seven districts.
Demonstrators have blocked roads and trains, and almost 200 flights in and out of Hong Kong have been canceled. The protests were first sparked nine weeks ago by a proposed bill that would have allowed extradition of people arrested in Hong Kong to China. That bill has been suspended, but demonstrators are calling on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to completely withdraw the bill, launch a third-party investigation into police abuse of power, and drop all charges for the protesters who have been arrested. Lam on Monday said due to the protests, Hong Kong is "on the verge of a very dangerous situation," and called for an end to "such extensive disruptions."
After British rule ended in 1997, Hong Kong went back to Chinese control. Hong Kong and China are supposed to operate under a "one country, two systems" policy, but protesters say Beijing is influencing Hong Kong's government more and more. Hong Kong's chief executive is picked by a small election committee, and protesters and pro-democracy lawmakers are calling for universal suffrage. If the people could vote for their leader, "we wouldn't have chosen a chief executive like this," legislator Claudia Mo said Monday. "If we had universal suffrage, Carrie Lam wouldn't have been so firm to push forward the extradition bill after a million people protested."
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