Thousands of people in Hong Kong defied a huge police presence and threats of jail to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre
Though Hong Kong authorities had banned the annual candlelight vigil, groups of people began streaming at around 8 p.m. Friday toward the city’s Victoria Park, where it is held each year, many with cellphone flashlights shining. The procession flowed mostly around the perimeter of the park, skirting police arrayed at the park. Many more protesters strolled with cellphone lights on in other districts around the city.
The seemingly innocuous acts carried huge risks for participants, with police warning those gathering in streets that they faced jail for unlawful assembly. Last year, Beijing cracked down on this technically semiautonomous Chinese city with a sweeping national security law meant to crush pro-democracy dissent that erupted in mass protests in 2019.
One of those arrested was Chow Hang-tung, a lawyer and human-rights activist, who is a senior member of a group that organized previous vigils. Several other members of the group were recently prosecuted for
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