This archive report was first published on 2 November 2019.
Published on November 2, 2019, thousands of protesters, many wearing face masks despite a recent ban, gathered in Causeway Bay, a popular shopping district in Hong Kong.
The march came a day after China issued a stern warning that it would not tolerate any challenge to Hong Kong's governing system and planned to boost patriotic education in the city.
Beijing has shown no willingness to meet protester demands for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability, and activists show no sign of leaving the streets as violence escalates on both sides.
"The government and the police have been ignoring and suppressing the people's demands so we need to continue the movement to show them we still want what we are asking for," said 18-year-old protester Gordon Tsoi, who was not wearing a mask.
Joshua Wong, a prominent activist, called for people to protest on Saturday, despite being barred earlier this week from standing in upcoming local elections.
Wong denies seeking independence and says he campaigns for the democratic freedoms and autonomy Beijing promised Hong Kong for 50 years after the 1997 handover.
Protesters are demanding an inquiry into the police, an amnesty for those arrested, and fully free elections, all of which Beijing and the city's local leaders have rejected.
