On the 23rd anniversary of the Handover of Hong Kong to China and on the day Beijing's draconian national security law for the city was enacted, thousands of protesters defied the police ban to take to the streets.
The July 1 protests led to the arrests of 370 people. Some were charged with participating in unauthorized assembly and obstructing law enforcement while 10 were charged under the new national security law.
Seven police officers were injured, with one stabbed in the arm by a protester during the chaos.
The Hong Kong Police Force banned the Civic Human Right Front from hosting the annual July 1 rally, citing pandemic control regulations, leaving the protesters to rally leaderless.
Despite the heavy police presence, thousands of protesters went “shopping” in various commercial malls at Causeway Bay and flooded the streets at around 3 PM.
As the riot police chased away the protesters from main roads with pepper spray, batons and water cannon, they sheltered in smaller streets and alleys before marching back to the main road whenever they felt safe.
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