The Latest: Hong Kong rallies spill over to Australia

By Associated Press 17 August 2019, 12:00AM

HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on protests in Hong Kong (all times local):

3:35 p.m.

Protests in support of a pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong have continued in Melbourne, Australia, while a pro-China march has been held in Sydney.

The Melbourne rally on Friday night turned ugly, with police moving in to separate some 100 pro-China protesters from those sympathetic to Hong Kong as low level violence flared. Saturday's protest in the southern city was peaceful.

Among the pro-Hong Kong demonstrators were members of China's Tibetan and Uighur ethnic minorities, as well as Vietnamese groups.

A pro-China march in Sydney included at least 200 protesters descending on the city's Town Hall chanting "Long Live China" and singing the Chinese national anthem.

Pro-Hong Kong rallies have also been held this week in Adelaide and Brisbane.

___

1:15 p.m.

Another weekend of protests is underway in Hong Kong, with teachers rallying to support students and other protesters.

An overflow crowd filled a public square in the financial district on Saturday, holding signs that read "Protect the next generation."

Teachers say they want the government to answer the protesters' demands and stop using what they called police violence to disperse demonstrators.

Hong Kong's protests are in their 10th week and show no sign of relenting. A series of rallies and at least one march are planned for this weekend.

The movement's demands include the resignation of the city leader, democratic elections and an independent investigation into police use of force.

Mainland Chinese police are holding drills in nearby Shenzhen, prompting speculation they could be sent in to suppress the protests.

By Associated Press 17 August 2019, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

Upgrade to Premium

Subscribe to
Samoa Observer Online

Enjoy unlimited access to all our articles on any device + free trial to e-Edition. You can cancel anytime.

>