Huge crowds marched through Hong Kong’s streets yesterday to demand full democratic reforms, in the former British colony’s biggest street demonstration in a decade, fuelled by fears that Beijing is tightening its grip on the territory.
Organisers put the number of marchers at 510,000, local media said. The police estimate was 98,600, which would still be the largest number at any public protest since 2004.
The city centre was still packed with thousands of people at 9pm, more than six hours after the demonstration began. Flanked by security officials, some sang the Cantonese version of “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from the musical Les Miserables.