The rise and fall of Hong Kong’s July 1 protests | See pics

In this July 1, 2019, file picture, protesters flood the streets as they participate in a annual rally in Hong Kong. (AP)In 2003, public opposition to a proposed nationwide safety legislation for Hong Kong swelled an annual protest held on July 1 to a whole bunch of hundreds of marchers.

Just a few months later, the Hong Kong authorities dropped the laws, and the concept remained largely dormant for greater than 15 years. Then final yr, the central authorities in Beijing unveiled a shock: a nationwide safety legislation it had drafted and rapidly imposed on the semi-autonomous metropolis. It took impact on the eve of July 1. In this July 1, 2018, file picture, hundreds of protesters march alongside a downtown avenue throughout an annual pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong. (AP)Since then, Hong Kong authorities have used the legislation and Covid-19 restrictions on public gatherings to stifle main protests. The organizer of the annual march mentioned it wouldn’t attempt to maintain one this yr; three smaller teams utilized for police permission to take action, nevertheless it has been denied.July 1 is a wonderful day within the eyes of China’s long-ruling Communist Party, marking the date that Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997.Protests on that day have assorted in dimension through the years, as public grievances towards the federal government waxed and waned. In this July 1, 2019, file picture, a protester breaks a glass wall as they attempt to enter the Legislative Council in Hong Kong. (AP)The 2019 protest was a big one. Hundreds of hundreds of individuals marched towards a proposal that might have allowed the extradition of legal suspects to mainland China for trial. That identical day, a gaggle of hard-line protesters broke into and vandalized the legislature.Thousands took to the streets final yr, regardless of police having refused permission for a march and the safety legislation having taken impact simply hours earlier. In this July. 1, 2020, file picture, protesters towards the brand new nationwide safety legislation march and gesture with 5 fingers, signifying the “Five demands – not one less” on the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China from Britain in Hong Kong, (AP)Some set fires and ripped paving stones from sidewalks and scattered them within the streets. Police arrested a whole bunch, together with the primary 10 beneath the brand new safety legislation.