Despite police ban, thousands of people take to the streets of Hong Kong

Despite the police ban, thousands of people in Hong Kong invaded the streets of Yuen Long on Saturday to demonstrate against the badault of a group of pro-democracy activists last weekend in this city.

At a subway station and a Yuen Long subway car, men dressed in white T-shirts, armed with sticks and sticks, brutally beat anti-government protesters who were returning home after a day of protest. According to the hospitals, 45 people were injured.

Police, widely criticized for their slow action, reported that 12 people arrested as regards these acts of violence, nine of which are alleged to be related to criminal gangs.

For this Saturday, a rally was held at this location to protest the aggression, but the police decided to ban it -something unusual – to ensure that the protesters run the risk of attacking Yuen Long's neighbors.

However, the hongkones decided ignore the authorities, and viralized calls to join the event through the messaging channels that the movement usually uses, which has no major leader.

Some have suggested that they could spend "a day of shopping" in Yuen Long and others that people could come together to mbadively play Pokemon Go, a popular mobile video game.

So, Saturday afternoon, the protesters, determined to challenge the banThey were heading to the Yuen Long Main Station and were also walking in the surrounding streets.

"Without fear"

Yuen Long is a city of new territories, where groups and pro-Beijing rural committees They have a lot of influence. The police, deployed in large numbers, maintained the distances. Many shops were closed.

But unlike previous protests, few protesters carried signs or banners.

"Everyone who came here did it on our own," he told the AFP a 25-year-old health care worker. "So, I do not think it's a illegal concentrationI just came as an individual to express what I think. "

Another protester said that he wanted to show that do not be afraid ". "The police and [el gobierno] they are together, eliminating the freedom of people to express their points of view, "he added.

Origin of the events

Hong Kong, a territory brought back to China by the United Kingdom in 1997 and a major international financial center, was the scene of seven weeks gigantic peaceful demonstrations against the government that degenerated into sporadic clashes between radical protesters and police.

The demonstrations arose from a controversial bill which planned to facilitate extraditions to China, but led to a broader movement that requires democratic reforms who stop the loss of freedoms.