Over half of MTR stations remain closed as Hong Kong protesters call for '3-million-strong' march
Hong Kong protesters have called another mass demonstration on Sunday to oppose a ban on masks at protests, which was enacted by Chief Executive Carrie Lam via emergency legislation and came into effect the day before
A rally will be held at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay at 2pm to express support for Veby Indah, an Indonesian journalist who was blinded by a rubber bullet last week.
Protesters will then march from the SOGO department store in Causeway Bay to Chater Garden in Central.
Also at 2pm, some protesters said they plan to march from Salisbury Road in Tsim Sha Tsui to Maple Street Playground in Sham Shui Po.
Protesters have called for a turnout of “three million” as a show of strength. The largest demonstration since the movement began in June had a turnout of approximately two million, according to organisers.
Skeleton MTR service
Following an unprecedented full shutdown on Saturday, the MTR Corporation announced that it would reopen 45 of its 93 stations on Sunday.
See also: Explainer: ‘The Communist Party’s Railway’ – How Hong Kong’s once-respected MTR fell afoul of protesters
Most MTR stations near protest hotspots remain closed, including Causeway Bay, Admiralty, Central, Prince Edward, Mong Kok, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun.
Saturday unrest
Hong Kong on Saturday came to a near standstill as banks, convenience stores, shopping malls and the MTR closed for the day. Scattered protests took place during the day, with several hundred people marching from Causeway Bay to Central.
More clashes broke out as night fell, with protesters spotted in Yuen Long, Wong Tai Sin, Sheung Shui and Mong Kok. Demonstrators built makeshift barricades and vandalised Chinese-owned shops and banks, before being dispersed by riot police.
At around 2am on Sunday, students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong reported that over 40 riot police officers entered their campus without notifying the school. Police took five students to the university’s MTR station for body searches, while pointing pepper spray at onlookers.
Armed police officers in riot gear were also spotted at Tuen Mun Hospital, where a 14-year-old protester was receiving medical treatment after being shot with a live round. The Hospital Authority said it had already “expressed concern” to the force, saying that there was a worry that a police presence could interfere with hospital operations.
Legal challenge
At 1:15pm on Sunday, the High Court refused – for the second time in three days – to grant an urgent injunction against the government’s mask ban, but said the full judicial review would likely be heard this month.
Reasons for the decision will be given on Tuesday, but the government’s mask ban will remain in effect in the meantime.
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