One day after angry protesters stormed and vandalized Hong Kong‘s legislature amid anger over a proposed extradition bill, the exterior of the building appeared calm on Tuesday.
Monday marked the 22nd anniversary of the former colony’s handover from Britain to China on July 1, 1997.
About half a million protesters took to the streets on Monday in a mostly peaceful rally from Causeway Bay to Central in downtown Hong Kong. But this year’s protests were marred by anger over a now-suspended bill that would pave the way for suspected criminals to be extradited to mainland China for trial.
A group of protesters turned violent, smashing windows of the city’s government building and leaving its walls covered in graffiti. Some entered the building by force and turned the offices upside down.
Hong Kong police used tear gas, pepper spray and batons to disperse the crowds, riling the protesters further.
A general view of the Legislative Council building is seen after it was damaged by demonstrators during a protest on July 2, 2019 in Hong Kong, China.
Anthony Kwan | Getty Images
Still, majority of the protesters were not violent. They called on the Hong Kong administration to completely retract the controversial extradition bill, and asked its Chief Executive Carrie Lam to step down. They also demanded those arrested at a previous rally on June 12 to be released.
Every year since the handover in 1997, hundreds and thousands of people would march the streets to demand democracy and autonomy — but Monday’s numbers were estimated to have been about ten times more than last year’s.
Anson Chan, Hong Kong’s former chief secretary, criticized Lam for the way she handled the situation.
“So far, the chief executive, other than a half-hearted apology has not receded to any of the demands,” Chan told CNBC on Tuesday. “Particularly, the complete withdrawal of the extradition bill. “
Chan said the priority right now for Lam, Hong Kong’s top official, should be the complete withdrawal of the extradition bill.
In a televised speech on June 12, Lam angered many when she referred to the mass demonstration against the extradition bill as an “organized riot.” Chan said the Hong Kong leader should retract those comments.
Chan also proposed that Lam should set up an independent commission of inquiry to look into the violence between the police and the protesters that happened on June 12.
The priority right now should be to learn from the situation and prevent any recurrence of “this sort of violent clashes between the police and the protesters and to restore much needed trust between the police and the protesters,” Chan added.
