Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Hong Kong once again to oppose an election law introduced by the Chinese government, the first rally since last year’s mass demonstrations closed parts of the city for more than two months.
Anti-election law protesters marched on Sunday through central Hong Kong carrying yellow umbrellas and balloons.
According to reports, several thousands of people joined the rally, but no immediate estimates were available from police.
The demonstrators are angered by an election law, which does not allow the people of Hong Kong to choose the region’s leader directly, instead voters will choose in 2017 the next chief executive from a list of two or three candidates selected by a nominating committee.
Prior to the march, authorities warned protesters against likely attempts to re-occupy key areas of the city, while rights groups called on police to avoid using force.
Last December, police in Hong Kong cleared the last of several protest sites in the city, ending over two months of demonstrations, which at a number of occasions turned violent. The protests erupted last September after China announced the new legislation.
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. The financial hub has enjoyed substantial political autonomy since 1997, when it returned to China after about a century of British colonial rule.
CAH/MKA
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