Joshua Wong, Hong Kong activist, leaves prison and pledges to participate in protests »News from the capital

By AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE, HONG KONG, China, June 17 – Joshua Wong, one of Hong Kong's leading democracy activists, freed himself from prison on Monday and vowed to join the anti-government protests shaking the financial center, while activists kept the pressure on the pro-Beijing leader of the city.

According to the organizers, some two million people – more than a quarter of the population – marched Sunday in the tropical heat, demanding the resignation of general manager Carrie Lam and protesting a bill allowing extradition to mainland China.

Hundreds of people were still blocking a road outside Lam's office Monday, demanding a dialogue with the authorities.

The city witnessed unprecedented scenes with two record gatherings a week apart, punctuated by violent clashes between protesters and police armed with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Wong, the child of the posters of the huge demonstration of the "Umbrella Movement" in favor of democracy in 2014, became the last spokesman to demand the resignation of Lam while he was released from the sentence imposed on its leader.

"She is no longer qualified to be the leader of Hong Kong," said Wong, jailed in May but released before term for good behavior. "I will also fight with all Hong Kongers to oppose the law on extradition in China."

Opposition to the extradition bill has brought together an unusually broad sample of Hong Kong in recent weeks, ranging from influential legal and commercial bodies to religious leaders.

And although the threat of extradition to China was behind the last week of protests, the movement has since become a new expression of popular anger both against the city's leaders and against Beijing. .

Many Hong Kongers believe that Chinese leaders undermine the unique freedoms and culture of this financial center.

They point out, among other examples, the inability of the "Umbrella Movement" to obtain concessions, the imprisonment of leaders of protesters, the disqualification of popular legislators and the disappearance of critical booksellers in Beijing.

Critics feared that Beijing's extradition law will block the people in opaque and politicized Chinese courts and undermine the city's reputation as a hub for trade and security, prompting unprecedented voter turnout .

In an interview with HK01 on Monday, Lam's senior advisor, Bernard Chan, said that no CEO would dare reintroduce the bill now.

The estimate of Sunday's rally has not been independently verified, but if confirmed, it would be the biggest event in Hong Kong's history.

Police, who have always given much lower estimates for political protests, said 338,000 people gathered at the "summit" of the protest – their highest estimate ever.

At the same time, Beijing reiterated its support for Mr. Lam, saying that he "would continue to strongly support the head of the executive and the efforts of the government of the special administrative region to govern according to law ".

– Xi Jinping wore a blow

According to badysts, the powerful Chinese President Xi Jinping has faced a rare setback with the suspension of the extradition law – although they have warned that Beijing would react by tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city. autonomous.

"This is a mbadive refutation of the idea that Hong Kong will eventually be completely absorbed by mainland China," said Bill Bishop, publisher of Sinocism China.

"You will see a redoubled effort on the part of the party to press Hong Kong in a way that is not necessarily going to be totally obvious," he said.

The violent crowd control measures taken by police on Wednesday as protesters attempted to storm the city's parliament to prevent debate on the bill cost Lam's government a great deal of money.

"I think that she has lost any remaining credibility or legitimacy for governing in Hong Kong because of the mismanagement of this whole affair," legislator Charles Mok told RTHK Radio.

The protesters asked him to resign, to file the bill permanently and to apologize for the use by the police of tear gas and rubber bullets on Wednesday. They also demanded that all charges be dropped against anyone arrested.

"We will have to stay here until Carrie Lam changes her mind," says Candy, 32.

But others did not know if Lam's resignation would make a difference given Beijing's dominance of the city.

"The Chinese government will just send another Carrie Lam and there will be no change," said Kok, a 21-year-old design student.