Protesters Say They Won’t Leave Until Hong Kong Extradition Law Bill Withdrawn

(Bloomberg) — Protesters blocking major roads in downtown Hong Kong vowed to stay until the government withdraws controversial legislation that would for the first time allow extraditions to China.

While Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam argues the legislation is necessary to close a legal loophole that makes the city a refuge to criminals, opponents say its approval would blow up the legal wall intended to keep the former British colony’s justice system separate from China’s. Wednesday’s protests follow one of the largest demonstrations since the handover.

Here are the latest developments (all times local):

Protest Leaders Rally Crowd (1:51 p.m.)

Protest organizer the Civil Human Rights Front and pan-democratic legislators, who oppose the bill, vowed to maintain their rally outside the Legislative Council, even as rain helped drive some demonstrators away. “We hope police won’t suppress this peaceful demonstration,” CHRF convener Jimmy Sham said. “We won’t leave until they withdraw the extradition bill.”

Government Urges Protests Off Road (12:47 p.m.)

Hong Kong’s government urged protesters to leave the roads as crowds swelled. Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung, making the announcement, repeated that the extradition bill would only target criminals. His comments came after some in the crowd began sitting in the roads, reminiscent of scenes from 2014’s Occupy movement when protesters staged a mass sit-in.

Protests Spill Into Business District (12:20 p.m.)

Protests expanded into Hong Kong’s financial district as the number of demonstrators continued to swell in the wake of the Legislative Council’s decision to delay voting on the extradition legislation. As activists spread across Queensway, some chanted: “Persist, Hongkongers! Fight on!”

Meeting Postponement Cheered (11:50 a.m.)

Opposition leaders celebrated the postponement of the legislative meeting, during which the bill was scheduled to be read, and urged people to keep demonstrating. “You guys made a miracle today,” Labour Party politician Fernando Cheung shouted to the crowd. “The meeting is delayed because you stood out today. But we still need more people coming out today. The turnout can temporarily delay the LegCo chairman and the government.”

U.S. Lawmakers Voice Support (11:42 a.m.)

Top U.S. lawmakers strongly denounced the bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement that the law is dangerous and “imperils” the strong relationship between the U.S. and Hong Kong. “If it passes, the Congress has no choice but to reassess whether Hong Kong is ‘sufficiently autonomous’ under the ‘one country, two systems’ framework,” she said. “America stands with the people of Hong Kong.”

Her comments came after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the city’s residents “rightly view” the extradition bill “as another erosion of the rule of law and tightening of Beijing’s grip on their imperiled autonomy.”

Legislature Chief Postpones Meeting (11 a.m.)

Legislative Council President Andrew Leung rescheduled the body’s meeting “to a later time to be determined by him” as protesters blocked roads outside the building. The council was slated to meet at 11 a.m. before what was expected to be almost 70 hours of debate on scores of opposition amendments.

Police Use Pepper Spray (10:40 a.m.)

Police shot pepper spray on some protesters near Harcourt Road and Tim Wa Avenue, the side street next to Lam’s office. Some demonstrators were ripping up bricks from the sidewalks, images published by local media showed.

There appeared to be a high degree of coordination between the protesters. Some dropped umbrellas from the overhead walkway above the protest scene to those underneath who might need to protect against any pepper spray. Others turned barriers around and used them as ladders to scale impediments. Students tied other barricades together to protect themselves from police.

By mid-morning, the rally appeared predominantly student-led. Ahead of the bill being read in the legislature, thousands of people shouted at rows of police lined up outside the gate leading to council’s building.

Social Media Symbolism (10:12 a.m.)

Some Hong Kong citizens changed their Facebook profile photos to black-and-white bauhinias. The flower of the Bauhinia blakeana orchid tree was selected as the city’s emblem during the British colonial era. It features prominently on the city’s flag, its coins and its coat of arms.

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