Hong Kong Protests Continue Despite Various Threats

The Hong Kong pro-democracy protests have followed through their 11th consecutive weekend. As the participation has been steadily growing, the demonstration witnessed on August 18 (Sunday) was arguably the largest yet. Leaving no room for traffic, thousands of umbrellas were dotted along the streets as people protested despite heavy rains. 

The recent sit-in protest at the airport soon turned violent (in addition to stopped flight services), leading people to believe that the turnout on the weekend will be decreased. However, the suspicions were proved wrong when astonishing numbers took to the streets. Following this demonstration through pouring rainfall, leader Carrie Lam announced that she plans to provide a platform to discuss these concerns and would like to have a dialogue with the protestors in order to calm the situation.

Heavy rains seem to be a mild hurdle in this protest since the protestors have received tear gas, rubber bullets and beanbag rounds from the police, mob violence by counter protestors and even severe military threats by the Beijing force. The protests began in June as opposition to the extradition bill, according to which residents of Hong Kong could be taken to China for trials. Various other causes have now been included within the demands of the protestors, including amnesty for arrested protesters and rights to elect leaders in Hong Kong. 

Accused cases of false news perpetrated by the Chinese government have also surfaced on Twitter and Facebook. Twitter announced a removal of 900 accounts suspected to be established by the Chinese government Facebook followed suit by disbanding 7 pages. Since the platforms are not available in China, it is believed to have been an attempt to influence the increasing support for the protesters across the world.