Hong Kong Police Ban Mass Weekend Protest March, Citing Safety
- Move could fuel demonstrators’ anger after months of rallies
- Civil Human Rights Front called previous historic marches
Riot police walk alongside water cannon vehicles during a protest in the Tsuen Wan district of Hong Kong, Aug. 25.
Photographer: Paul Yeung/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Hong Kong police said they banned a Saturday protest by the organizer of previous historic mass marches, citing public safety concerns, a move that could anger demonstrators ahead of a planned 13th straight weekend of pro-democracy rallies.
Police said approving the Civil Human Rights Front’s march was too risky as some people might use it to “carry out large scale destruction and disrupt public order,” Kwok Pak-chung, the force’s regional commander for Hong Kong Island, said at a Thursday briefing. The South China Morning Post first reported the ban.