A fresh round of demonstrations started in Hong Kong as thousands of protestors blocked a key road and gathered in front of the police headquarters to demand the complete withdrawal of the contentious extradition bill on Friday, June 21.
Clad in black, symbolising their dissent, the recent round of demonstration began on Thursday as protestors demanded the release of detained activists, a formal apology for police brutality and a complete scrap of the bill in Wan Chai area.
The Secretary for Security, John Lee, and Police Commissioner Stephen Lo were demanded to step down for ordering tear gas on protestors by pro-democracy lawmakers Lam Cheuk-ting and Au Nok-hin, reported Hong Kong Free Press.
Joshua Wong, the popular founder of the Umbrella Movement, also addressed crowds, chanting "Stephen Lo, come out" and "John Lee, dialogue." He was released by Hong Kong authorities on Monday after serving time for his role in the mass scale demonstration calling for free and transparent elections nearly five years ago.
Lawmakers Lam Cheuk-ting and Au Nok-hin said Secretary for Security John Lee and Police Commissioner Stephen Lo must step down for ordering release of tear gas against demonstrators last Wednesday.
Following the statement by Ann Chiang who said that the extradition bill could be restarted after a few months, the pro-Beijing party released a statement saying that the comments "are only her individual view and were not discussed within the party," reported Bloomberg.
A Hong Kong police spokesperson said that they respected the protestors rally and there was a "no clearance operation". However, she mentioned that the mass gathering in front of the headquarter has affected the deployment of emergency services.
