Hong Kong protesters marched through shopping malls on New Year’s Eve urging people not to give up the fight for democracy this year, while police were out in force across the territory to quell any unrest.
As evening fell, dozens of protesters dropped flowers near the Mass Transit Railway’s Prince Edward Station, which was the scene of some of the most violent clashes with the police this summer.
Demonstrators were planning a giant human chain, as well as late-night demonstrations dubbed “Suck the Eve” in the downtown bar and entertainment district of Lan Kwai Fong and the picturesque Victoria Harbour.
Wong, a 22-year-old freelance photographer who gave only his last name, said he did not feel like celebrating New Year.
“I choose to stand here because at least we can chant a little and it feels like I’m with family,” he said.
The protests began in June last year in response to a now-withdrawn bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China and have evolved into a broader pro-democracy movement.
Many streets were decorated with Christmas lights and other seasonal paraphernalia, but the mood was less than festive as police officers in riot gear patrolled the busiest areas.
In a prime shopping mall in the Tsim Sha Tsui area popular with tourists, dozens of protesters chanted pro-democracy slogans and riot police stopped people to search their backpacks.
Authorities canceled the popular midnight fireworks for the first time in a decade, citing security concerns.
They were to be replaced with a multimedia light show.
In a New Year’s Eve video message, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) said that more than six months of unrest in the territory had caused sadness, anxiety, disappointment and rage.
“Let’s start 2020 with a new resolution, to restore order and harmony in society. So we can begin again, together,” Lam said in a three-minute address.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to join a major pro-democracy march today, after it received police approval to proceed.
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