Tiananmen vigil in Hong Kong draws thousands despite coronavirus-related ban
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3087623/tiananmen-vigil-
- Police stand back as crowds pour into Victoria Park in Causeway Bay and take up a couple of soccer pitches
- Show of defiance comes on a politically charged day as legislature passes a law criminalising disrespect for national anthem
Thousands flooded Hong Kong’s Victoria Park on Thursday night for the annual candlelight vigil to mark the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, defying a ban on the mass gathering imposed by the police for the first time on health protection grounds.
Police, who had warned they had thousands of riot officers ready and would enforce anti-coronavirus rules limiting groups to a maximum of eight people each, stood back as the crowds poured into the park in Causeway Bay and took up a couple of football pitches.
The peace was broken only in Mong Kok when protesters blocked Argyle Street and plain-clothes police officers used pepper spray and batons to stop them. Sources said at least four people were arrested.
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