Saturday Live Broadcast: Mass Hong Kong Protest Expected Despite Police Ban

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8/30/2019Updated: 8/31/2019

As tensions between Hong Kong protesters and police escalated in recent protests, leading to multiple injuries, other parts of the world are also showing increasing concern for the region.

Beijing has sent a series of warnings to the protesters, making irregular troop rotations and staging anti-riot drills at the Hong Kong border. Meanwhile, Hongkongers are criticizing the government for creating a state of white terror: at least eight prominent activists were arrested ahead of the anticipated Saturday protest. There are also fears that the government could declare a state of emergency to quell the ongoing protests.

U.S. and European officials have all sounded the alarm amid news of the activists’ arrests while expressing support to their cause.

The mass protests, which erupted amid widespread fears that a controversial extradition bill would erode Hong Kong’s autonomy from mainland China, are now in their twelfth week.

Many fear that the proposal, which would allow China to seek extradition of criminal suspects, would enable the Chinese regime to place individuals on trial in the mainland, where rule of law is not observed.

Though the bill has been suspended due to public pressure, Hongkongers are still turning out every weekend to demand that the government fully withdraw the bill, investigate the police’s use of force in dispersing protesters, and enact universal suffrage in the city’s elections. Since June, police have arrested over 800 people in connection with the protests.

This Saturday, a planned mass rally was canceled due to police objection, but protesters are calling for people to attend through other creative forms.

The Epoch Times will begin live-streaming demonstrations on Saturday at 7 a.m. EST, with footage and onsite reporting by our Hong Kong bureau.

The broadcast will also be streaming live from our Facebook pages: