Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents marched in protest on the 19th anniversary of the financial hub's return to Chinese rule on Friday as tensions simmer against Chinese authorities over the abductions of Hong Kong booksellers.
Some waved banners criticizing Beijing for the cross-border abductions as acts of a "totalitarian" regime, as well as calling for the release of leading dissidents, chanting for democracy and for Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying to step down.
Several hundred scuffled with police outside Government House, with police using pepper spray to keep them back. Organizers said 110,000 people took part in the march, while police put the figure at 19,300.
The July 1 protests are considered a barometer of public sentiment toward Beijing, with the former British colony due to hold citywide elections in September.
The city has been unnerved over the past year by the disappearances of five booksellers who specialized in works critical of Chinese leaders. One of the men, Lam Wing-kee, who was detained for eight months by Chinese agents and released last month, criticized Beijing for "violating Hong Kong's rights" through illegal cross-border enforcement operations.
The tactics have raised fears of Communist Party rulers in Beijing eroding the so-called "one country, two systems" formula, granting Hong Kong a high degree of freedom and autonomy since its 1997 return from British to Chinese rule.
