Protesters in Hong Kong have marched to a high-speed railway station in order to get their message across to those visiting from mainland China.
Large crowds were seen gathering outside the West Kowloon station which connects Guangdong city to other mainland destinations.
Demonstrators marched through a high-end shopping centre popular with Chinese tourists, brandishing placards with read ‘Stay Strong Hong Kong’ and mega phones.
Police barricaded the main entrance to the station in order to stop protesters gaining access, while only passengers with pre-booked reservations were being let into the station this afternoon.
Local media reported that ticket sales had also been suspended for afternoon trains, as many tried to get their message out to those living in mainland China, with protesters saying coverage had been focused on the damaged caused earlier in the month.
This is while the organisers said the turnout had been larger than expected as crowds met at Salisbury Garden, with the march kicking off at around 3.30pm local time.
Anti-extradition bill protesters march to West Kowloon Express Rail Link Station at Hong Kong’s tourism district earlier today
People branded posters which read ‘Stay Strong Hong Kong’ and one man was wearing a T-shirt with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt which read: ‘Believe you can and you’re halfway there’
One demonstrator was pictured shouting slogans during the march this afternoon and was also carrying a placard which read ‘Hong Kong Independence’
Hong Kong police officers were pictured standing outside the station today as they prepared for those marching through the shopping centre
As many went about their day to day chores and shopping habits, protesters held up ‘together we stand’ posters as they tried to spread their message
Hong Kong has been riven by protests for the past month, sparked by proposed changes to the extradition laws that would have allowed suspects to be sent to the mainland to face trial.
The legislation, which the government has suspended indefinitely because of the protests, raised broader concerns about an erosion of freedoms and rights in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory in recent years.
Hong Kong was allowed to keep its own legal system for 50 years after Britain returned the then-colony to China in 1997, but many in the city fear that freedom of expression and other rights are under threat.
The high-speed rail station, which opened last September, was a source of contention, as passengers pass through Chinese immigration and customs inside. Some opposition politicians said the fact that Chinese law applies in the immigration area violates the agreement giving Hong Kong its own legal system.
The July 1 break-in at the legislature overshadowed a peaceful march the same day by hundreds of thousands of people also opposed to the extradition legislation.
The shot above shows the scale of the protests and just how many people turned out today as they marched to the high-speed rail station
Many were seen putting placards up and posters in the area and others filmed the action on their phones and took shots of the protests
Traffic seemed to have come to a standstill close to the station area and many marched through cars, taxis and buses that were trying to make there way
A demonstrator holding a yellow umbrella shouts slogans during a march to the West Kowloon railway station to protest against a proposed extradition bill in Hong Kong
Ahead of the march, protesters held a vigil last night for a Hong Kong woman who fell to her death this week, one of three apparent suicides linked to ongoing protests over fears that freedoms are being eroded in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
Before falling from a shopping mall on June 30, the 29-year-old woman left a message on Facebook that wished for the protesters’ success but said she could not carry on, Hong Kong media have reported.
A 21-year old student had fallen to her death the previous day, as did a man after hanging a protest banner about two weeks earlier. The three deaths have raised concerns about the possibility of copycat suicides among other disaffected people.
The protesters say Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, has not shown empathy for the victims.
Matthew Cheung, the chief secretary for administration, said Friday that the government feels deeply sorry and saddened by the suicides and will do all it can to stop the trend.
A Hong Kong woman distributes newspapers with the headlines “Millions against Communist China shock the world” in a shopping district popular with mainland Chinese tourists
Pictures show that the protesters go back for miles in the area and they brandish signs and chant slogans during the march
Some were seen climbing on top of flower beds and plants this afternoon which decorate the outside of the shopping centre