Hong Kong: Thousands protest in Tsim Sha Tsui July 7 /update 13

Event

Thousands of people are participating in a protest march in Kowloon harbor area of Tsim Sha Tsui on Sunday, July 7. Due to the large crowds, the protest march began earlier than expected at 15:30 (local time) from Salisbury Garden to the West Kowloon high speed rail terminus. As of 17:00 many streets in the area are closed and filled with demonstrators, including Nathan Road, Canton Road, and Kowloon Park Road. Police have closed the West Kowloon Terminus to visitors without train tickets and erected barricades around the building. Large crowds and associate disruptions, including road closures and public transportation congestion and partial station closures, are expected in the coming hours along with a heightened security presence

Context

Protests and mass demonstrations of up to 2 million people have been held since June 9 in opposition to a controversial bill that would allow Hong Kong to extradite fugitives wanted in mainland China, along with Macau and Taiwan. Opponents claim the law would erode freedoms guaranteed by China in 1997 and may be used to silence dissent and criticism.

Advice

Individuals in Hong Kong are advised to monitor the situation, adhere to instructions issued by local authorities, refrain from discussing political topics in public or on social media, avoid all public demonstrations due to the risk of violence and arrest, and anticipate localized transportation and business disruptions and a heightened security presence.