Hong Kong protests over China extradition bill

Protesters react during a demonstration against a proposed extradition bill, near the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, China. The 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests are a series of ongoing demonstrations in Hong Kong and other cities around the world against the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 proposed by the Hong Kong government. Concerns are raised over the removal of the firewall of the legal systems between Hong Kong and Mainland China where Hong Kong citizens and foreign nationals passing through the city could fall victim to the Chinese legal system where the courts are under political control. The movement gained momentum when the 28 April demonstration attracted an estimated 130,000 protesters.

 After the chaos in the Legislative Council meetings and the curtailment of the usual procedure of scrutinising the bill, as well as the concerns raised by foreign business groups, politicians and governments in May, the 9 June protest calling for the withdrawal of the bill and resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam was attended by over a million people, a record breaking turnout as the organisers claimed. Similar protests were also launched in cities such as New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney and Taipei.

On 12 June, the day the government attempted to table the bill for second reading, the protest outside of the government headquarters descended into violent clashes, where the police fired tear gas, beanbag rounds and rubber bullets indiscriminately at largely peaceful protesters and declared it as a "riot". The government's action sparked controversy over the use of excessive force and policing. On 16 June, according to claims by the organizers of the protest, a historic record of nearly two million people turned out in demonstration against the extradition bill as well as the police brutality, a day after Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced a pause in the passage of the extradition bill.