Growing Protests Against Extradition Seize Hong Kong

Tens of thousands of protesters descended onto Hong Kong’s business district of Admiralty Wednesday morning to protest an extradition law, blocking major roads and prompting numerous businesses to close or work on flexible hours, in large-scale actions not seen since the 2014 Occupy pro-democracy protests.

By the afternoon, police had deployed tear gas and rubber bullets to control what police chief Stephen Lo deemed a “riot situation.” The crowds braved the occasional rain to gather outside the city’s legislative council building, following a march earlier on Sunday in which organizers said one million people took part — equal to one in seven people in the city — to express their dismay over a bill that would allow for an extradition agreement between Hong Kong and Mainland China.