Crowd Of Demonstrators Encircles Hong Kong Government Compound

Umer Jamshaid Published August 18, 2019 | 06:50 PM

HONG KONG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th August, 2019) A crowd of demonstrators in Hong Kong has encircled a complex of government buildings in Admiralty area in the city's central district, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Sunday.

The protesters have occupied a bridge opposite the buildings, shouting out insults against the police and shining lasers on the Legislative Council building.

The police have not yet attempted to disperse the crowd. The council's building is fenced by 6.6-foot barriers.

Earlier in the day, tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in the center of Hong Kong. Even though the police only sanctioned the rally in Victoria Park, the protesters, despite rainy weather, soon left the park to join an unauthorized march.

Mass protests erupted in China's semi-autonomous Hong Kong in early June in response to a controversial bill that would allow extraditions to the mainland. Although the local parliament eventually announced that it had suspended the bill, people continue to protest, demanding that it be withdrawn completely. They also want the city authorities to implement universal suffrage and retract criminal charges against protesters.

At first, the rallies were peaceful but they subsequently led to violent clashes between the demonstrators and the police.