🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 84 (from laksa057)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa084.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html","crawl_time":1770239602,"first_indexed_time":1591679430,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,nytimes!www,\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html s443","src_root_hash":"4566504020376537684","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Hong Kong Protests, One Year Later - The New York Times","meta_descriptions":["The city’s worst political crisis in decades began in earnest with a mass march on June 9, 2019. Here is a look at some of the pro-democracy campaign’s key moments."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"The city’s worst political crisis in decades began in earnest with a mass march on June 9, 2019. Here is a look at some of the pro-democracy campaign’s key moments.\nCredit...\nPublished June 9, 2020\nUpdated June 22, 2021\nOne year ago on Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in\nHong Kong\ngathered for a march that became the start of the semiautonomous Chinese city’s biggest political crisis and the broadest expression of public anger with Beijing in decades.\nIn the months that followed, protesters filled the city’s streets, broke into the\nlocal legislature and vandalized it\n, staged sit-ins at the airport, and turned a university campus into a fiery battleground. Earlier this year,\nthe demonstrations\nquieted amid the coronavirus pandemic.\nBut Beijing’s push to impose national security laws over the territory has prompted some\nprotesters\nto return to the streets. Their presence is a reminder that many thorny issues — including the demonstrators’ demands for greater official accountability — remain unresolved.\nHere is a look at how we got here.\nCrowding the streets\nOrganizers estimate that\na million people marched on June 9, 2019\n, against a proposed law allowing extraditions to mainland China. The rally was mostly peaceful, though some\nprotesters\nand police officers clashed after midnight. Three days later, the police fired tear gas at protesters who had blocked a major highway outside the local legislature. The\nheavy-handed response\nprompted another June march that organizers said drew\nnearly two million people\n.\nImage\nHundreds of thousands protested a contentious extradition law on June 9 last year.\nImage\nDemonstrators at the June 12 protest said they were dismayed that tear gas was used against them.\nCrashing the legislature\nOn July 1, hundreds of thousands of people marched to denounce police brutality\nand Beijing’s growing influence over the city\non the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China. A group of demonstrators also\nsmashed their way into the local legislature\nusing metal bars and makeshift battering rams. That confrontation reflected a wider attempt by the protest movement to target symbols of authority, including local police stations and the Chinese government’s liaison office in the city.\nImage\nIn a turning point for the movement, antigovernment protesters stormed the legislature on July 1.\nImage\nProtesters occupied and vandalized the Legislative Council building.\nClashing with the police\nStreet clashes between black-clad protesters and the police became routine. Increasingly, protesters coordinated their actions on the fly using encrypted messaging — an effort to evade the police and new restrictions on public gatherings. Some began carrying makeshift weapons,\nattacking opponents on the streets and vandalizing businesses\nseen as supporting the police and the government. A slogan from the movie series “The Hunger Games” — “If we burn, you burn with us” —\nbecame a call to arms\n.\nImage\nThe police fired tear gas during a clash with protesters at Yuen Long, a border district, on July 27.\nImage\nProtesters and police officers in the Sha Tin neighborhood on July 14.\nGetting attacked by a mob\nOn July 21, after protesters vandalized Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong,\na mob attacked a group of protesters in a train station\n. Dozens were injured, including journalists and a pro-democracy legislator. The appearance of police inaction that night would fuel widespread anger toward the Hong Kong police force, and suspicion that officers were unwilling to protect antigovernment protesters.\nImage\nSome protesters became targets when a mob attacked them at a train station on July 21.\nImage\nCalvin So, a cook, said he was walking near a protest in the district of Yuen Long when he was attacked by a mob.\nShutting down the airport\nBy August, Hong Kong’s sleek and efficient airport was the center of protesters’ focus. First there were days of sit-ins by demonstrators who wanted to voice their complaints to some of the tens of thousands of travelers who move through the airport each day.\nThe protesters then blocked some travelers\n, snarling flights and causing hundreds of cancellations.\nAfter protesters attacked two men\nfrom mainland China, the airport obtained a court injunction barring access to its terminals to anyone except employees and travelers bearing flight tickets.\nImage\nProtesters staged a sit-in at the airport in Hong Kong on Aug. 12.\nImage\nProtesters and the police clashed at the airport on Aug. 13.\nImage\nProtesters engulfed in tear gas during a clash with the police in Hong Kong on Oct. 1, China’s National Day.\nImage\nRiot police officers in the district of Wong Tai Sin on Oct. 1.\nImage\nProtesters on the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong clashed with riot police officers on Nov. 12.\nImage\nProtesters threw firebombs at the police from behind barricades at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Nov. 17.\nWinning an election\nThe protest movement\nearned a stunning victory\nin late November as pro-democracy candidates captured most of the seats in local elections for district councils, one of the lowest elected offices in the city. It was a vivid expression of the city’s aspirations and its anger with the Chinese government, and the protests subsided for several weeks after that. On New Year’s Day, demonstrators\nreturned to the streets in full force\nin a protest that started peacefully but descended into violent clashes with the police.\nImage\nDemocracy supporters celebrating in Hong Kong on Nov. 25.\nImage\nThe police rounded up several dozen people in the Causeway Bay area on Jan. 1.\nPausing for a pandemic\nEarly this year, after the coronavirus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and spread around the world,\nthe protests eased\nas residents stayed home and social-distancing rules were imposed. But demonstrators pressured the government in other ways, notably through a union of\nhospital employees who went on strike\nto force the government to slow travel from mainland China to lessen the risk of spreading the coronavirus.\nImage\nThe area of Tsim Sha Tsui, the site of several protests in 2019.\nImage\nThe Hong Kong airport, nearly empty on March 20.\nFacing new scrutiny\nLunchtime rallies re-emerged this spring, though on a much smaller scale than the protests by office workers and others that brought traffic to a halt in key business districts last year. Last month, protesters took to the streets to vent their anger over\nBeijing’s plan to impose new national security laws\nand a bill in front of the local legislature that would ban the disrespect of China’s national anthem. The police, who have taken a more aggressive approach to clamping down on protests after a new commissioner was installed last year,\narrested at least 180 people\n.\nImage\nRiot police officers are moving more quickly to stop protests like this one in the Causeway Bay area on May 24.\nImage\nThe police fired pepper balls in Central on May 27.\nImage\nHong Kong residents flouted a police ban as they gathered in Victoria Park on Thursday.\nImage\nA candlelight vigil at Victoria Park on Thursday.\nOne Year of Protests\nOn Tuesday evening, a few thousand people, some still in their office clothes, marched through downtown Hong Kong, holding up the lights of their cellphones and chanting protest slogans like, “Fight for freedom! Stand with Hong Kong!”\nImage\nProtesters marking the anniversary of the first major political march, on Tuesday.\nImage\nPolice officers in riot gear in Hong Kong on Tuesday.\nTiffany May contributed reporting.\nAustin Ramzy\nis a Hong Kong reporter, focusing on coverage of the city and also of regional and breaking news. He previously covered major events around Asia from Taipei and Beijing.\nAdvertisement\nSKIP ADVERTISEMENT","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to content](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html#site-content)[Skip to site index](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html#site-index)\n\nSearch & Section Navigation\n\nSection Navigation\n\nSearch\n\n[Log in](https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fsubscription%2Fonboarding-offer%3FcampaignId%3D7JFJX%26EXIT_URI%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nytimes.com%252F2020%252F06%252F09%252Fworld%252Fasia%252Fhong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html&asset=masthead)\n\n[Asia Pacific](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/world\/asia)\\|Hong Kong Protests, One Year Later\n\nhttps:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html\n\n- Share full article\n- 3\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-top\/merlin_172782942_5b89843e-8536-42bf-b95a-5c649f6cc37e-superJumbo.jpg)\n\n# Hong Kong Protests, One Year Later\nThe city’s worst political crisis in decades began in earnest with a mass march on June 9, 2019. Here is a look at some of the pro-democracy campaign’s key moments.\n\nCredit...\n\nSupported by\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html#after-sponsor)\n\n- Share full article\n- 3\n\nBy [Austin Ramzy](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/austin-ramzy) and [Mike Ives](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/mike-ives)\n\nPhotographs by Lam Yik Fei\n\n- Published June 9, 2020Updated June 22, 2021\n\n[阅读简体中文版](https:\/\/cn.nytimes.com\/china\/20200609\/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later\/ \"Read in Simplified Chinese\")[閱讀繁體中文版](https:\/\/cn.nytimes.com\/china\/20200609\/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later\/zh-hant \"Read in Traditional Chinese\")\n\nOne year ago on Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in [Hong Kong](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/06\/23\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-security-law-trial.html) gathered for a march that became the start of the semiautonomous Chinese city’s biggest political crisis and the broadest expression of public anger with Beijing in decades.\n\nIn the months that followed, protesters filled the city’s streets, broke into the [local legislature and vandalized it](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/01\/world\/asia\/china-hong-kong-protest.html), staged sit-ins at the airport, and turned a university campus into a fiery battleground. Earlier this year, [the demonstrations](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/04\/23\/world\/asia\/coronavirus-protest-hong-kong-india-lebanon.html) quieted amid the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nBut Beijing’s push to impose national security laws over the territory has prompted some [protesters](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/28\/world\/asia\/china-hong-kong-national-security-law.html) to return to the streets. Their presence is a reminder that many thorny issues — including the demonstrators’ demands for greater official accountability — remain unresolved.\n\nHere is a look at how we got here.\n\n## Crowding the streets\nOrganizers estimate that [a million people marched on June 9, 2019](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/06\/09\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-extradition-protest.html), against a proposed law allowing extraditions to mainland China. The rally was mostly peaceful, though some [protesters](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/27\/world\/asia\/china-hong-kong.html) and police officers clashed after midnight. Three days later, the police fired tear gas at protesters who had blocked a major highway outside the local legislature. The [heavy-handed response](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video\/world\/asia\/100000006602584\/hong-kong-police-protest-video-investigation.html?smid=pl-share) prompted another June march that organizers said drew [nearly two million people](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/06\/16\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protests.html).\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-1\/merlin_156207387_438be4a9-b08d-45a9-88d3-3cadc731a073-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nHundreds of thousands protested a contentious extradition law on June 9 last year.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-add7\/merlin_156346836_cb295d16-b690-40f5-b5ba-19a65f2c5e10-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nDemonstrators at the June 12 protest said they were dismayed that tear gas was used against them.\n\n## Crashing the legislature\nOn July 1, hundreds of thousands of people marched to denounce police brutality [and Beijing’s growing influence over the city](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/01\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-china-handover.html) on the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China. A group of demonstrators also [smashed their way into the local legislature](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/01\/world\/asia\/china-hong-kong-protest.html?module=inline) using metal bars and makeshift battering rams. That confrontation reflected a wider attempt by the protest movement to target symbols of authority, including local police stations and the Chinese government’s liaison office in the city.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-2\/merlin_157300377_4e1017e9-8b30-4d02-b27d-e095752773bf-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nIn a turning point for the movement, antigovernment protesters stormed the legislature on July 1.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-2b\/merlin_157302921_6a26cbdc-c753-497a-a96a-0a5f919d87e5-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters occupied and vandalized the Legislative Council building.\n\n## Clashing with the police\nStreet clashes between black-clad protesters and the police became routine. Increasingly, protesters coordinated their actions on the fly using encrypted messaging — an effort to evade the police and new restrictions on public gatherings. Some began carrying makeshift weapons, [attacking opponents on the streets and vandalizing businesses](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/10\/07\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protesters-masks-violence.html) seen as supporting the police and the government. A slogan from the movie series “The Hunger Games” — “If we burn, you burn with us” — [became a call to arms](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/09\/27\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protests-violence.html).\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-3\/merlin_158525535_768fac6f-9fbe-48da-b560-df179f013359-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nThe police fired tear gas during a clash with protesters at Yuen Long, a border district, on July 27.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-3b\/merlin_157925496_f7e43a49-52d9-4eb5-af9c-3e868a795435-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters and police officers in the Sha Tin neighborhood on July 14.\n\n## Getting attacked by a mob\nOn July 21, after protesters vandalized Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, [a mob attacked a group of protesters in a train station](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/22\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protest-mob-attack-yuen-long.html). Dozens were injured, including journalists and a pro-democracy legislator. The appearance of police inaction that night would fuel widespread anger toward the Hong Kong police force, and suspicion that officers were unwilling to protect antigovernment protesters.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-4\/merlin_158463924_537b6724-8144-40e2-a6c7-bc8fbfcac6a1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nSome protesters became targets when a mob attacked them at a train station on July 21.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-add1\/merlin_158321091_64017c25-c06a-4c3d-9a39-66017fcde71c-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nCalvin So, a cook, said he was walking near a protest in the district of Yuen Long when he was attacked by a mob.\n\n## Shutting down the airport\nBy August, Hong Kong’s sleek and efficient airport was the center of protesters’ focus. First there were days of sit-ins by demonstrators who wanted to voice their complaints to some of the tens of thousands of travelers who move through the airport each day. [The protesters then blocked some travelers](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/08\/12\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-airport-protest.html), snarling flights and causing hundreds of cancellations. [After protesters attacked two men](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/08\/14\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-airport-protests.html) from mainland China, the airport obtained a court injunction barring access to its terminals to anyone except employees and travelers bearing flight tickets.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-add2\/merlin_159183642_646961d9-5d5c-4b18-b9ff-b7a3629d7fc9-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters staged a sit-in at the airport in Hong Kong on Aug. 12.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-5\/merlin_159228096_bc6f6ec1-45f5-472f-997f-12e6d0ca5f82-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters and the police clashed at the airport on Aug. 13.\n\n## Firing at protesters\nWhile Beijing marked the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on Oct. 1 with a military parade, [protesters in Hong Kong held widespread demonstrations that turned violent](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/09\/30\/world\/asia\/china-national-day-hong-kong-protests.html). An officer fired a live round that hit an 18-year-old who, according to video, appeared to hit the officer with a pipe. The teenager was arrested and taken to a hospital for treatment. Days later, the Hong Kong government [used emergency powers to ban face masks](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/10\/04\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-emergency-powers.html) at protests, a move that was scaled back in a series of court rulings.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-6\/merlin_161894097_0b362398-bc87-45aa-8ae5-621cebb56c14-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters engulfed in tear gas during a clash with the police in Hong Kong on Oct. 1, China’s National Day.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-add3\/merlin_161894055_efb839f5-5a63-4cd9-957f-005768643c29-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nRiot police officers in the district of Wong Tai Sin on Oct. 1.\n\n## Taking universities by storm\nIn some of the most dramatic moments of the protest movement, university campuses became focal points of unrest in November after a student demonstrator died in a fall from a parking garage during a police operation. Protesters occupied [the Chinese University of Hong Kong for five days](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2019\/11\/18\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protest-universities.html). Activists [in and around the Hong Kong Polytechnic University](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/11\/17\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protests-chinese-soldiers.html) fought off the police by hurling Molotov cocktails and launching arrows from bows. The police later arrested hundreds of protesters after [a lengthy siege](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/11\/29\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protests-polytechnic.html).\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-add6\/merlin_164292249_69ef9e48-10d5-4507-8b3f-324e4ab84fbc-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters on the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong clashed with riot police officers on Nov. 12.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-add9\/merlin_164551200_9ee3edb1-0559-44b8-aaf9-d0c98c1e5978-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters threw firebombs at the police from behind barricades at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Nov. 17.\n\n## Winning an election\nThe protest movement [earned a stunning victory](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/11\/24\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-election-results.html) in late November as pro-democracy candidates captured most of the seats in local elections for district councils, one of the lowest elected offices in the city. It was a vivid expression of the city’s aspirations and its anger with the Chinese government, and the protests subsided for several weeks after that. On New Year’s Day, demonstrators [returned to the streets in full force](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/01\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protest.html) in a protest that started peacefully but descended into violent clashes with the police.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-8\/merlin_164958756_84ed95f5-6d07-4790-9151-a4307301df14-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nDemocracy supporters celebrating in Hong Kong on Nov. 25.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-8b\/merlin_166547748_5643ddcd-20c0-47c2-b8ec-c9957edac214-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nThe police rounded up several dozen people in the Causeway Bay area on Jan. 1.\n\n## Pausing for a pandemic\nEarly this year, after the coronavirus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and spread around the world, [the protests eased](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/04\/23\/world\/asia\/coronavirus-protest-hong-kong-india-lebanon.html) as residents stayed home and social-distancing rules were imposed. But demonstrators pressured the government in other ways, notably through a union of [hospital employees who went on strike](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/02\/03\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-coronavirus-china-border.html) to force the government to slow travel from mainland China to lessen the risk of spreading the coronavirus.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-1ad\/merlin_170758281_143d7c44-01dd-4bd6-8175-0a02895dc438-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nThe area of Tsim Sha Tsui, the site of several protests in 2019.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-2ad\/merlin_170763468_37218906-8063-491b-bed9-94ecf5508ea3-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nThe Hong Kong airport, nearly empty on March 20.\n\n## Facing new scrutiny\nLunchtime rallies re-emerged this spring, though on a much smaller scale than the protests by office workers and others that brought traffic to a halt in key business districts last year. Last month, protesters took to the streets to vent their anger over [Beijing’s plan to impose new national security laws](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/27\/world\/asia\/why-are-hong-kong-protesters.html) and a bill in front of the local legislature that would ban the disrespect of China’s national anthem. The police, who have taken a more aggressive approach to clamping down on protests after a new commissioner was installed last year, [arrested at least 180 people](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/24\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protest-coronavirus-china.html).\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photo-may-24\/merlin_172782957_46ab7244-0991-4bbe-88d5-e3c440e0cabc-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nRiot police officers are moving more quickly to stop protests like this one in the Causeway Bay area on May 24.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-may1\/merlin_172871157_f6e546de-62c2-4edc-aafb-52235f034a82-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nThe police fired pepper balls in Central on May 27.\n\n## Defying a ban\nHong Kong has long hosted the only large-scale remembrance on Chinese soil of the Chinese military’s [brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/06\/04\/world\/asia\/times-coverage-of-tiananmen-square-25-years-ago.html) around [Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 4, 1989](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/03\/world\/asia\/tiananmen-anniversary-photos.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article). Last year, in a reflection of the growing concern in the city over the proposed extradition law, organizers said [more than 180,000 people](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/06\/04\/world\/asia\/tiananmen-anniversary-china.html) attended the vigil. This year, the police banned the event for the first time in 30 years, citing the epidemic risk, but thousands of people [defied the authorities and gathered in districts across the city](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/04\/world\/asia\/tiananmen-hong-kong-china.html).\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-11\/merlin_173190918_e3c48165-9973-417e-81f2-d0f06cb17317-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nHong Kong residents flouted a police ban as they gathered in Victoria Park on Thursday.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-11b\/merlin_173190900_0f15455f-4fde-4348-9b47-12604e833a94-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nA candlelight vigil at Victoria Park on Thursday.\n\n## One Year of Protests\nOn Tuesday evening, a few thousand people, some still in their office clothes, marched through downtown Hong Kong, holding up the lights of their cellphones and chanting protest slogans like, “Fight for freedom! Stand with Hong Kong!”\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-new1\/merlin_173361420_8f28d16a-0b80-4d53-9c14-b478bff64033-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters marking the anniversary of the first major political march, on Tuesday.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-new2\/merlin_173361474_2491bc47-e531-4dee-a283-023108056d05-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nPolice officers in riot gear in Hong Kong on Tuesday.\n\nTiffany May contributed reporting.\n\nHong Kong’s Struggle\n\n[![]()Why Are People Protesting in Hong Kong? May 27, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/27\/world\/asia\/why-are-hong-kong-protesters.html)\n\n[![]()In Hong Kong, China Threatens Businesses and Workers May 31, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/31\/business\/hong-kong-china-business.html)\n\n[![]()Why China’s Move to Rein In Hong Kong Is Just the Start May 24, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/24\/world\/asia\/china-hong-kong-taiwan.html)\n\n[![]()Amid Pandemic, Hong Kong Arrests Major Pro-Democracy Figures April 18, 2020](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/04\/18\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-arrests.html)\n\n[Austin Ramzy](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/austin-ramzy) is a Hong Kong reporter, focusing on coverage of the city and also of regional and breaking news. He previously covered major events around Asia from Taipei and Beijing.\n\nRead 3 comments\n\n- Share full article\n- 3\n## Related Content\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html#after-bottom)\n## Site Index\n## Site Information Navigation\n- [© 2026 The New York Times Company](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115014792127-Copyright-Notice)\n\n- [NYTCo](https:\/\/www.nytco.com\/)\n- [Contact Us](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115015385887-Contact-The-New-York-Times)\n- [Accessibility](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115015727108-Accessibility)\n- [Work with us](https:\/\/www.nytco.com\/careers\/)\n- [Advertise](https:\/\/advertising.nytimes.com\/)\n- [T Brand Studio](https:\/\/advertising.nytimes.com\/custom-content\/)\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/10940941449492-The-New-York-Times-Company-Privacy-Policy)\n- [Cookie Policy](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/privacy\/cookie-policy)\n- [Terms of Service](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115014893428-Terms-of-Service)\n- [Terms of Sale](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115014893968-Terms-of-Sale)\n- [Site Map](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/sitemap\/)\n- [Canada](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/ca\/)\n- [International](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/international\/)\n- [Help](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us)\n- [Subscriptions](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=37WXW)","attrs_readable_markdown":"![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-top\/merlin_172782942_5b89843e-8536-42bf-b95a-5c649f6cc37e-superJumbo.jpg)\n\nThe city’s worst political crisis in decades began in earnest with a mass march on June 9, 2019. Here is a look at some of the pro-democracy campaign’s key moments.\n\nCredit...\n\n- Published June 9, 2020Updated June 22, 2021\n\nOne year ago on Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in [Hong Kong](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/06\/23\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-security-law-trial.html) gathered for a march that became the start of the semiautonomous Chinese city’s biggest political crisis and the broadest expression of public anger with Beijing in decades.\n\nIn the months that followed, protesters filled the city’s streets, broke into the [local legislature and vandalized it](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/01\/world\/asia\/china-hong-kong-protest.html), staged sit-ins at the airport, and turned a university campus into a fiery battleground. Earlier this year, [the demonstrations](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/04\/23\/world\/asia\/coronavirus-protest-hong-kong-india-lebanon.html) quieted amid the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nBut Beijing’s push to impose national security laws over the territory has prompted some [protesters](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/28\/world\/asia\/china-hong-kong-national-security-law.html) to return to the streets. Their presence is a reminder that many thorny issues — including the demonstrators’ demands for greater official accountability — remain unresolved.\n\nHere is a look at how we got here.\n\n## Crowding the streets\nOrganizers estimate that [a million people marched on June 9, 2019](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/06\/09\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-extradition-protest.html), against a proposed law allowing extraditions to mainland China. The rally was mostly peaceful, though some [protesters](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/27\/world\/asia\/china-hong-kong.html) and police officers clashed after midnight. Three days later, the police fired tear gas at protesters who had blocked a major highway outside the local legislature. The [heavy-handed response](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video\/world\/asia\/100000006602584\/hong-kong-police-protest-video-investigation.html?smid=pl-share) prompted another June march that organizers said drew [nearly two million people](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/06\/16\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protests.html).\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-1\/merlin_156207387_438be4a9-b08d-45a9-88d3-3cadc731a073-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nHundreds of thousands protested a contentious extradition law on June 9 last year.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-add7\/merlin_156346836_cb295d16-b690-40f5-b5ba-19a65f2c5e10-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nDemonstrators at the June 12 protest said they were dismayed that tear gas was used against them.\n\n## Crashing the legislature\nOn July 1, hundreds of thousands of people marched to denounce police brutality [and Beijing’s growing influence over the city](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/01\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-china-handover.html) on the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China. A group of demonstrators also [smashed their way into the local legislature](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/01\/world\/asia\/china-hong-kong-protest.html?module=inline) using metal bars and makeshift battering rams. That confrontation reflected a wider attempt by the protest movement to target symbols of authority, including local police stations and the Chinese government’s liaison office in the city.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-2\/merlin_157300377_4e1017e9-8b30-4d02-b27d-e095752773bf-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nIn a turning point for the movement, antigovernment protesters stormed the legislature on July 1.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-2b\/merlin_157302921_6a26cbdc-c753-497a-a96a-0a5f919d87e5-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters occupied and vandalized the Legislative Council building.\n\n## Clashing with the police\nStreet clashes between black-clad protesters and the police became routine. Increasingly, protesters coordinated their actions on the fly using encrypted messaging — an effort to evade the police and new restrictions on public gatherings. Some began carrying makeshift weapons, [attacking opponents on the streets and vandalizing businesses](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/10\/07\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protesters-masks-violence.html) seen as supporting the police and the government. A slogan from the movie series “The Hunger Games” — “If we burn, you burn with us” — [became a call to arms](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/09\/27\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protests-violence.html).\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-3\/merlin_158525535_768fac6f-9fbe-48da-b560-df179f013359-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nThe police fired tear gas during a clash with protesters at Yuen Long, a border district, on July 27.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-3b\/merlin_157925496_f7e43a49-52d9-4eb5-af9c-3e868a795435-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters and police officers in the Sha Tin neighborhood on July 14.\n\n## Getting attacked by a mob\nOn July 21, after protesters vandalized Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, [a mob attacked a group of protesters in a train station](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/22\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protest-mob-attack-yuen-long.html). Dozens were injured, including journalists and a pro-democracy legislator. The appearance of police inaction that night would fuel widespread anger toward the Hong Kong police force, and suspicion that officers were unwilling to protect antigovernment protesters.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-4\/merlin_158463924_537b6724-8144-40e2-a6c7-bc8fbfcac6a1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nSome protesters became targets when a mob attacked them at a train station on July 21.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-add1\/merlin_158321091_64017c25-c06a-4c3d-9a39-66017fcde71c-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nCalvin So, a cook, said he was walking near a protest in the district of Yuen Long when he was attacked by a mob.\n\n## Shutting down the airport\nBy August, Hong Kong’s sleek and efficient airport was the center of protesters’ focus. First there were days of sit-ins by demonstrators who wanted to voice their complaints to some of the tens of thousands of travelers who move through the airport each day. [The protesters then blocked some travelers](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/08\/12\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-airport-protest.html), snarling flights and causing hundreds of cancellations. [After protesters attacked two men](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/08\/14\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-airport-protests.html) from mainland China, the airport obtained a court injunction barring access to its terminals to anyone except employees and travelers bearing flight tickets.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-add2\/merlin_159183642_646961d9-5d5c-4b18-b9ff-b7a3629d7fc9-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters staged a sit-in at the airport in Hong Kong on Aug. 12.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-5\/merlin_159228096_bc6f6ec1-45f5-472f-997f-12e6d0ca5f82-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters and the police clashed at the airport on Aug. 13.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-6\/merlin_161894097_0b362398-bc87-45aa-8ae5-621cebb56c14-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters engulfed in tear gas during a clash with the police in Hong Kong on Oct. 1, China’s National Day.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-add3\/merlin_161894055_efb839f5-5a63-4cd9-957f-005768643c29-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nRiot police officers in the district of Wong Tai Sin on Oct. 1.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-add6\/merlin_164292249_69ef9e48-10d5-4507-8b3f-324e4ab84fbc-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters on the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong clashed with riot police officers on Nov. 12.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-add9\/merlin_164551200_9ee3edb1-0559-44b8-aaf9-d0c98c1e5978-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters threw firebombs at the police from behind barricades at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Nov. 17.\n\n## Winning an election\nThe protest movement [earned a stunning victory](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/11\/24\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-election-results.html) in late November as pro-democracy candidates captured most of the seats in local elections for district councils, one of the lowest elected offices in the city. It was a vivid expression of the city’s aspirations and its anger with the Chinese government, and the protests subsided for several weeks after that. On New Year’s Day, demonstrators [returned to the streets in full force](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/01\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protest.html) in a protest that started peacefully but descended into violent clashes with the police.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-8\/merlin_164958756_84ed95f5-6d07-4790-9151-a4307301df14-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nDemocracy supporters celebrating in Hong Kong on Nov. 25.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-8b\/merlin_166547748_5643ddcd-20c0-47c2-b8ec-c9957edac214-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nThe police rounded up several dozen people in the Causeway Bay area on Jan. 1.\n\n## Pausing for a pandemic\nEarly this year, after the coronavirus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and spread around the world, [the protests eased](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/04\/23\/world\/asia\/coronavirus-protest-hong-kong-india-lebanon.html) as residents stayed home and social-distancing rules were imposed. But demonstrators pressured the government in other ways, notably through a union of [hospital employees who went on strike](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/02\/03\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-coronavirus-china-border.html) to force the government to slow travel from mainland China to lessen the risk of spreading the coronavirus.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-1ad\/merlin_170758281_143d7c44-01dd-4bd6-8175-0a02895dc438-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nThe area of Tsim Sha Tsui, the site of several protests in 2019.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-2ad\/merlin_170763468_37218906-8063-491b-bed9-94ecf5508ea3-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nThe Hong Kong airport, nearly empty on March 20.\n\n## Facing new scrutiny\nLunchtime rallies re-emerged this spring, though on a much smaller scale than the protests by office workers and others that brought traffic to a halt in key business districts last year. Last month, protesters took to the streets to vent their anger over [Beijing’s plan to impose new national security laws](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/27\/world\/asia\/why-are-hong-kong-protesters.html) and a bill in front of the local legislature that would ban the disrespect of China’s national anthem. The police, who have taken a more aggressive approach to clamping down on protests after a new commissioner was installed last year, [arrested at least 180 people](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/24\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protest-coronavirus-china.html).\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photo-may-24\/merlin_172782957_46ab7244-0991-4bbe-88d5-e3c440e0cabc-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nRiot police officers are moving more quickly to stop protests like this one in the Causeway Bay area on May 24.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-may1\/merlin_172871157_f6e546de-62c2-4edc-aafb-52235f034a82-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nThe police fired pepper balls in Central on May 27.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-11\/merlin_173190918_e3c48165-9973-417e-81f2-d0f06cb17317-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nHong Kong residents flouted a police ban as they gathered in Victoria Park on Thursday.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-11b\/merlin_173190900_0f15455f-4fde-4348-9b47-12604e833a94-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nA candlelight vigil at Victoria Park on Thursday.\n\n## One Year of Protests\nOn Tuesday evening, a few thousand people, some still in their office clothes, marched through downtown Hong Kong, holding up the lights of their cellphones and chanting protest slogans like, “Fight for freedom! Stand with Hong Kong!”\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-new1\/merlin_173361420_8f28d16a-0b80-4d53-9c14-b478bff64033-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nProtesters marking the anniversary of the first major political march, on Tuesday.\n\nImage\n\n![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/09hongkong-photos-new2\/merlin_173361474_2491bc47-e531-4dee-a283-023108056d05-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nPolice officers in riot gear in Hong Kong on Tuesday.\n\nTiffany May contributed reporting.\n\n[Austin Ramzy](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/austin-ramzy) is a Hong Kong reporter, focusing on coverage of the city and also of regional and breaking news. He previously covered major events around Asia from Taipei and Beijing.\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/09\/world\/asia\/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html#after-bottom)","meta_canonical":null}

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Meta Title	Hong Kong Protests, One Year Later - The New York Times
Meta Description	The city’s worst political crisis in decades began in earnest with a mass march on June 9, 2019. Here is a look at some of the pro-democracy campaign’s key moments.
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Boilerpipe Text	The city’s worst political crisis in decades began in earnest with a mass march on June 9, 2019. Here is a look at some of the pro-democracy campaign’s key moments. Credit... Published June 9, 2020 Updated June 22, 2021 One year ago on Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in Hong Kong gathered for a march that became the start of the semiautonomous Chinese city’s biggest political crisis and the broadest expression of public anger with Beijing in decades. In the months that followed, protesters filled the city’s streets, broke into the local legislature and vandalized it , staged sit-ins at the airport, and turned a university campus into a fiery battleground. Earlier this year, the demonstrations quieted amid the coronavirus pandemic. But Beijing’s push to impose national security laws over the territory has prompted some protesters to return to the streets. Their presence is a reminder that many thorny issues — including the demonstrators’ demands for greater official accountability — remain unresolved. Here is a look at how we got here. Crowding the streets Organizers estimate that a million people marched on June 9, 2019 , against a proposed law allowing extraditions to mainland China. The rally was mostly peaceful, though some protesters and police officers clashed after midnight. Three days later, the police fired tear gas at protesters who had blocked a major highway outside the local legislature. The heavy-handed response prompted another June march that organizers said drew nearly two million people . Image Hundreds of thousands protested a contentious extradition law on June 9 last year. Image Demonstrators at the June 12 protest said they were dismayed that tear gas was used against them. Crashing the legislature On July 1, hundreds of thousands of people marched to denounce police brutality and Beijing’s growing influence over the city on the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China. A group of demonstrators also smashed their way into the local legislature using metal bars and makeshift battering rams. That confrontation reflected a wider attempt by the protest movement to target symbols of authority, including local police stations and the Chinese government’s liaison office in the city. Image In a turning point for the movement, antigovernment protesters stormed the legislature on July 1. Image Protesters occupied and vandalized the Legislative Council building. Clashing with the police Street clashes between black-clad protesters and the police became routine. Increasingly, protesters coordinated their actions on the fly using encrypted messaging — an effort to evade the police and new restrictions on public gatherings. Some began carrying makeshift weapons, attacking opponents on the streets and vandalizing businesses seen as supporting the police and the government. A slogan from the movie series “The Hunger Games” — “If we burn, you burn with us” — became a call to arms . Image The police fired tear gas during a clash with protesters at Yuen Long, a border district, on July 27. Image Protesters and police officers in the Sha Tin neighborhood on July 14. Getting attacked by a mob On July 21, after protesters vandalized Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, a mob attacked a group of protesters in a train station . Dozens were injured, including journalists and a pro-democracy legislator. The appearance of police inaction that night would fuel widespread anger toward the Hong Kong police force, and suspicion that officers were unwilling to protect antigovernment protesters. Image Some protesters became targets when a mob attacked them at a train station on July 21. Image Calvin So, a cook, said he was walking near a protest in the district of Yuen Long when he was attacked by a mob. Shutting down the airport By August, Hong Kong’s sleek and efficient airport was the center of protesters’ focus. First there were days of sit-ins by demonstrators who wanted to voice their complaints to some of the tens of thousands of travelers who move through the airport each day. The protesters then blocked some travelers , snarling flights and causing hundreds of cancellations. After protesters attacked two men from mainland China, the airport obtained a court injunction barring access to its terminals to anyone except employees and travelers bearing flight tickets. Image Protesters staged a sit-in at the airport in Hong Kong on Aug. 12. Image Protesters and the police clashed at the airport on Aug. 13. Image Protesters engulfed in tear gas during a clash with the police in Hong Kong on Oct. 1, China’s National Day. Image Riot police officers in the district of Wong Tai Sin on Oct. 1. Image Protesters on the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong clashed with riot police officers on Nov. 12. Image Protesters threw firebombs at the police from behind barricades at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Nov. 17. Winning an election The protest movement earned a stunning victory in late November as pro-democracy candidates captured most of the seats in local elections for district councils, one of the lowest elected offices in the city. It was a vivid expression of the city’s aspirations and its anger with the Chinese government, and the protests subsided for several weeks after that. On New Year’s Day, demonstrators returned to the streets in full force in a protest that started peacefully but descended into violent clashes with the police. Image Democracy supporters celebrating in Hong Kong on Nov. 25. Image The police rounded up several dozen people in the Causeway Bay area on Jan. 1. Pausing for a pandemic Early this year, after the coronavirus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and spread around the world, the protests eased as residents stayed home and social-distancing rules were imposed. But demonstrators pressured the government in other ways, notably through a union of hospital employees who went on strike to force the government to slow travel from mainland China to lessen the risk of spreading the coronavirus. Image The area of Tsim Sha Tsui, the site of several protests in 2019. Image The Hong Kong airport, nearly empty on March 20. Facing new scrutiny Lunchtime rallies re-emerged this spring, though on a much smaller scale than the protests by office workers and others that brought traffic to a halt in key business districts last year. Last month, protesters took to the streets to vent their anger over Beijing’s plan to impose new national security laws and a bill in front of the local legislature that would ban the disrespect of China’s national anthem. The police, who have taken a more aggressive approach to clamping down on protests after a new commissioner was installed last year, arrested at least 180 people . Image Riot police officers are moving more quickly to stop protests like this one in the Causeway Bay area on May 24. Image The police fired pepper balls in Central on May 27. Image Hong Kong residents flouted a police ban as they gathered in Victoria Park on Thursday. Image A candlelight vigil at Victoria Park on Thursday. One Year of Protests On Tuesday evening, a few thousand people, some still in their office clothes, marched through downtown Hong Kong, holding up the lights of their cellphones and chanting protest slogans like, “Fight for freedom! Stand with Hong Kong!” Image Protesters marking the anniversary of the first major political march, on Tuesday. Image Police officers in riot gear in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Tiffany May contributed reporting. Austin Ramzy is a Hong Kong reporter, focusing on coverage of the city and also of regional and breaking news. He previously covered major events around Asia from Taipei and Beijing. Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Markdown	[Skip to content](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html#site-content)[Skip to site index](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html#site-index) Search & Section Navigation Section Navigation Search [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fsubscription%2Fonboarding-offer%3FcampaignId%3D7JFJX%26EXIT_URI%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nytimes.com%252F2020%252F06%252F09%252Fworld%252Fasia%252Fhong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html&asset=masthead) [Asia Pacific](https://www.nytimes.com/section/world/asia)\\|Hong Kong Protests, One Year Later https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html - Share full article - 3 ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-top/merlin_172782942_5b89843e-8536-42bf-b95a-5c649f6cc37e-superJumbo.jpg) # Hong Kong Protests, One Year Later The city’s worst political crisis in decades began in earnest with a mass march on June 9, 2019. Here is a look at some of the pro-democracy campaign’s key moments. Credit... Supported by [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html#after-sponsor) - Share full article - 3 By [Austin Ramzy](https://www.nytimes.com/by/austin-ramzy) and [Mike Ives](https://www.nytimes.com/by/mike-ives) Photographs by Lam Yik Fei - Published June 9, 2020Updated June 22, 2021 [阅读简体中文版](https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20200609/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later/ "Read in Simplified Chinese")[閱讀繁體中文版](https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20200609/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later/zh-hant "Read in Traditional Chinese") One year ago on Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in [Hong Kong](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/world/asia/hong-kong-security-law-trial.html) gathered for a march that became the start of the semiautonomous Chinese city’s biggest political crisis and the broadest expression of public anger with Beijing in decades. In the months that followed, protesters filled the city’s streets, broke into the [local legislature and vandalized it](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/world/asia/china-hong-kong-protest.html), staged sit-ins at the airport, and turned a university campus into a fiery battleground. Earlier this year, [the demonstrations](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/world/asia/coronavirus-protest-hong-kong-india-lebanon.html) quieted amid the coronavirus pandemic. But Beijing’s push to impose national security laws over the territory has prompted some [protesters](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/28/world/asia/china-hong-kong-national-security-law.html) to return to the streets. Their presence is a reminder that many thorny issues — including the demonstrators’ demands for greater official accountability — remain unresolved. Here is a look at how we got here. ## Crowding the streets Organizers estimate that [a million people marched on June 9, 2019](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/09/world/asia/hong-kong-extradition-protest.html), against a proposed law allowing extraditions to mainland China. The rally was mostly peaceful, though some [protesters](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/27/world/asia/china-hong-kong.html) and police officers clashed after midnight. Three days later, the police fired tear gas at protesters who had blocked a major highway outside the local legislature. The [heavy-handed response](https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/100000006602584/hong-kong-police-protest-video-investigation.html?smid=pl-share) prompted another June march that organizers said drew [nearly two million people](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/16/world/asia/hong-kong-protests.html). Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-1/merlin_156207387_438be4a9-b08d-45a9-88d3-3cadc731a073-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Hundreds of thousands protested a contentious extradition law on June 9 last year. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-add7/merlin_156346836_cb295d16-b690-40f5-b5ba-19a65f2c5e10-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Demonstrators at the June 12 protest said they were dismayed that tear gas was used against them. ## Crashing the legislature On July 1, hundreds of thousands of people marched to denounce police brutality [and Beijing’s growing influence over the city](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/world/asia/hong-kong-china-handover.html) on the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China. A group of demonstrators also [smashed their way into the local legislature](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/world/asia/china-hong-kong-protest.html?module=inline) using metal bars and makeshift battering rams. That confrontation reflected a wider attempt by the protest movement to target symbols of authority, including local police stations and the Chinese government’s liaison office in the city. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-2/merlin_157300377_4e1017e9-8b30-4d02-b27d-e095752773bf-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) In a turning point for the movement, antigovernment protesters stormed the legislature on July 1. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-2b/merlin_157302921_6a26cbdc-c753-497a-a96a-0a5f919d87e5-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters occupied and vandalized the Legislative Council building. ## Clashing with the police Street clashes between black-clad protesters and the police became routine. Increasingly, protesters coordinated their actions on the fly using encrypted messaging — an effort to evade the police and new restrictions on public gatherings. Some began carrying makeshift weapons, [attacking opponents on the streets and vandalizing businesses](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/07/world/asia/hong-kong-protesters-masks-violence.html) seen as supporting the police and the government. A slogan from the movie series “The Hunger Games” — “If we burn, you burn with us” — [became a call to arms](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/27/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-violence.html). Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-3/merlin_158525535_768fac6f-9fbe-48da-b560-df179f013359-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) The police fired tear gas during a clash with protesters at Yuen Long, a border district, on July 27. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-3b/merlin_157925496_f7e43a49-52d9-4eb5-af9c-3e868a795435-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters and police officers in the Sha Tin neighborhood on July 14. ## Getting attacked by a mob On July 21, after protesters vandalized Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, [a mob attacked a group of protesters in a train station](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/22/world/asia/hong-kong-protest-mob-attack-yuen-long.html). Dozens were injured, including journalists and a pro-democracy legislator. The appearance of police inaction that night would fuel widespread anger toward the Hong Kong police force, and suspicion that officers were unwilling to protect antigovernment protesters. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-4/merlin_158463924_537b6724-8144-40e2-a6c7-bc8fbfcac6a1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Some protesters became targets when a mob attacked them at a train station on July 21. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-add1/merlin_158321091_64017c25-c06a-4c3d-9a39-66017fcde71c-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Calvin So, a cook, said he was walking near a protest in the district of Yuen Long when he was attacked by a mob. ## Shutting down the airport By August, Hong Kong’s sleek and efficient airport was the center of protesters’ focus. First there were days of sit-ins by demonstrators who wanted to voice their complaints to some of the tens of thousands of travelers who move through the airport each day. [The protesters then blocked some travelers](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/12/world/asia/hong-kong-airport-protest.html), snarling flights and causing hundreds of cancellations. [After protesters attacked two men](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/14/world/asia/hong-kong-airport-protests.html) from mainland China, the airport obtained a court injunction barring access to its terminals to anyone except employees and travelers bearing flight tickets. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-add2/merlin_159183642_646961d9-5d5c-4b18-b9ff-b7a3629d7fc9-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters staged a sit-in at the airport in Hong Kong on Aug. 12. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-5/merlin_159228096_bc6f6ec1-45f5-472f-997f-12e6d0ca5f82-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters and the police clashed at the airport on Aug. 13. ## Firing at protesters While Beijing marked the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on Oct. 1 with a military parade, [protesters in Hong Kong held widespread demonstrations that turned violent](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/30/world/asia/china-national-day-hong-kong-protests.html). An officer fired a live round that hit an 18-year-old who, according to video, appeared to hit the officer with a pipe. The teenager was arrested and taken to a hospital for treatment. Days later, the Hong Kong government [used emergency powers to ban face masks](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/world/asia/hong-kong-emergency-powers.html) at protests, a move that was scaled back in a series of court rulings. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-6/merlin_161894097_0b362398-bc87-45aa-8ae5-621cebb56c14-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters engulfed in tear gas during a clash with the police in Hong Kong on Oct. 1, China’s National Day. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-add3/merlin_161894055_efb839f5-5a63-4cd9-957f-005768643c29-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Riot police officers in the district of Wong Tai Sin on Oct. 1. ## Taking universities by storm In some of the most dramatic moments of the protest movement, university campuses became focal points of unrest in November after a student demonstrator died in a fall from a parking garage during a police operation. Protesters occupied [the Chinese University of Hong Kong for five days](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/18/world/asia/hong-kong-protest-universities.html). Activists [in and around the Hong Kong Polytechnic University](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/17/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-chinese-soldiers.html) fought off the police by hurling Molotov cocktails and launching arrows from bows. The police later arrested hundreds of protesters after [a lengthy siege](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/29/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-polytechnic.html). Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-add6/merlin_164292249_69ef9e48-10d5-4507-8b3f-324e4ab84fbc-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters on the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong clashed with riot police officers on Nov. 12. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-add9/merlin_164551200_9ee3edb1-0559-44b8-aaf9-d0c98c1e5978-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters threw firebombs at the police from behind barricades at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Nov. 17. ## Winning an election The protest movement [earned a stunning victory](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/24/world/asia/hong-kong-election-results.html) in late November as pro-democracy candidates captured most of the seats in local elections for district councils, one of the lowest elected offices in the city. It was a vivid expression of the city’s aspirations and its anger with the Chinese government, and the protests subsided for several weeks after that. On New Year’s Day, demonstrators [returned to the streets in full force](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/01/world/asia/hong-kong-protest.html) in a protest that started peacefully but descended into violent clashes with the police. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-8/merlin_164958756_84ed95f5-6d07-4790-9151-a4307301df14-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Democracy supporters celebrating in Hong Kong on Nov. 25. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-8b/merlin_166547748_5643ddcd-20c0-47c2-b8ec-c9957edac214-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) The police rounded up several dozen people in the Causeway Bay area on Jan. 1. ## Pausing for a pandemic Early this year, after the coronavirus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and spread around the world, [the protests eased](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/world/asia/coronavirus-protest-hong-kong-india-lebanon.html) as residents stayed home and social-distancing rules were imposed. But demonstrators pressured the government in other ways, notably through a union of [hospital employees who went on strike](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/03/world/asia/hong-kong-coronavirus-china-border.html) to force the government to slow travel from mainland China to lessen the risk of spreading the coronavirus. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-1ad/merlin_170758281_143d7c44-01dd-4bd6-8175-0a02895dc438-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) The area of Tsim Sha Tsui, the site of several protests in 2019. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-2ad/merlin_170763468_37218906-8063-491b-bed9-94ecf5508ea3-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) The Hong Kong airport, nearly empty on March 20. ## Facing new scrutiny Lunchtime rallies re-emerged this spring, though on a much smaller scale than the protests by office workers and others that brought traffic to a halt in key business districts last year. Last month, protesters took to the streets to vent their anger over [Beijing’s plan to impose new national security laws](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/world/asia/why-are-hong-kong-protesters.html) and a bill in front of the local legislature that would ban the disrespect of China’s national anthem. The police, who have taken a more aggressive approach to clamping down on protests after a new commissioner was installed last year, [arrested at least 180 people](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/24/world/asia/hong-kong-protest-coronavirus-china.html). Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photo-may-24/merlin_172782957_46ab7244-0991-4bbe-88d5-e3c440e0cabc-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Riot police officers are moving more quickly to stop protests like this one in the Causeway Bay area on May 24. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-may1/merlin_172871157_f6e546de-62c2-4edc-aafb-52235f034a82-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) The police fired pepper balls in Central on May 27. ## Defying a ban Hong Kong has long hosted the only large-scale remembrance on Chinese soil of the Chinese military’s [brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/04/world/asia/times-coverage-of-tiananmen-square-25-years-ago.html) around [Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 4, 1989](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/world/asia/tiananmen-anniversary-photos.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article). Last year, in a reflection of the growing concern in the city over the proposed extradition law, organizers said [more than 180,000 people](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/04/world/asia/tiananmen-anniversary-china.html) attended the vigil. This year, the police banned the event for the first time in 30 years, citing the epidemic risk, but thousands of people [defied the authorities and gathered in districts across the city](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/world/asia/tiananmen-hong-kong-china.html). Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-11/merlin_173190918_e3c48165-9973-417e-81f2-d0f06cb17317-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Hong Kong residents flouted a police ban as they gathered in Victoria Park on Thursday. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-11b/merlin_173190900_0f15455f-4fde-4348-9b47-12604e833a94-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) A candlelight vigil at Victoria Park on Thursday. ## One Year of Protests On Tuesday evening, a few thousand people, some still in their office clothes, marched through downtown Hong Kong, holding up the lights of their cellphones and chanting protest slogans like, “Fight for freedom! Stand with Hong Kong!” Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-new1/merlin_173361420_8f28d16a-0b80-4d53-9c14-b478bff64033-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters marking the anniversary of the first major political march, on Tuesday. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-new2/merlin_173361474_2491bc47-e531-4dee-a283-023108056d05-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Police officers in riot gear in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Tiffany May contributed reporting. Hong Kong’s Struggle [![]()Why Are People Protesting in Hong Kong? May 27, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/world/asia/why-are-hong-kong-protesters.html) [![]()In Hong Kong, China Threatens Businesses and Workers May 31, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/business/hong-kong-china-business.html) [![]()Why China’s Move to Rein In Hong Kong Is Just the Start May 24, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/24/world/asia/china-hong-kong-taiwan.html) [![]()Amid Pandemic, Hong Kong Arrests Major Pro-Democracy Figures April 18, 2020](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/18/world/asia/hong-kong-arrests.html) [Austin Ramzy](https://www.nytimes.com/by/austin-ramzy) is a Hong Kong reporter, focusing on coverage of the city and also of regional and breaking news. He previously covered major events around Asia from Taipei and Beijing. Read 3 comments - Share full article - 3 ## Related Content Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html#after-bottom) ## Site Index ## Site Information Navigation - [© 2026 The New York Times Company](https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014792127-Copyright-Notice) - [NYTCo](https://www.nytco.com/) - [Contact Us](https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015385887-Contact-The-New-York-Times) - [Accessibility](https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015727108-Accessibility) - [Work with us](https://www.nytco.com/careers/) - [Advertise](https://advertising.nytimes.com/) - [T Brand Studio](https://advertising.nytimes.com/custom-content/) - [Privacy Policy](https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/10940941449492-The-New-York-Times-Company-Privacy-Policy) - [Cookie Policy](https://www.nytimes.com/privacy/cookie-policy) - [Terms of Service](https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014893428-Terms-of-Service) - [Terms of Sale](https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014893968-Terms-of-Sale) - [Site Map](https://www.nytimes.com/sitemap/) - [Canada](https://www.nytimes.com/ca/) - [International](https://www.nytimes.com/international/) - [Help](https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us) - [Subscriptions](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=37WXW)
Readable Markdown	![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-top/merlin_172782942_5b89843e-8536-42bf-b95a-5c649f6cc37e-superJumbo.jpg) The city’s worst political crisis in decades began in earnest with a mass march on June 9, 2019. Here is a look at some of the pro-democracy campaign’s key moments. Credit... - Published June 9, 2020Updated June 22, 2021 One year ago on Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in [Hong Kong](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/world/asia/hong-kong-security-law-trial.html) gathered for a march that became the start of the semiautonomous Chinese city’s biggest political crisis and the broadest expression of public anger with Beijing in decades. In the months that followed, protesters filled the city’s streets, broke into the [local legislature and vandalized it](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/world/asia/china-hong-kong-protest.html), staged sit-ins at the airport, and turned a university campus into a fiery battleground. Earlier this year, [the demonstrations](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/world/asia/coronavirus-protest-hong-kong-india-lebanon.html) quieted amid the coronavirus pandemic. But Beijing’s push to impose national security laws over the territory has prompted some [protesters](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/28/world/asia/china-hong-kong-national-security-law.html) to return to the streets. Their presence is a reminder that many thorny issues — including the demonstrators’ demands for greater official accountability — remain unresolved. Here is a look at how we got here. ## Crowding the streets Organizers estimate that [a million people marched on June 9, 2019](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/09/world/asia/hong-kong-extradition-protest.html), against a proposed law allowing extraditions to mainland China. The rally was mostly peaceful, though some [protesters](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/27/world/asia/china-hong-kong.html) and police officers clashed after midnight. Three days later, the police fired tear gas at protesters who had blocked a major highway outside the local legislature. The [heavy-handed response](https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/100000006602584/hong-kong-police-protest-video-investigation.html?smid=pl-share) prompted another June march that organizers said drew [nearly two million people](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/16/world/asia/hong-kong-protests.html). Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-1/merlin_156207387_438be4a9-b08d-45a9-88d3-3cadc731a073-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Hundreds of thousands protested a contentious extradition law on June 9 last year. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-add7/merlin_156346836_cb295d16-b690-40f5-b5ba-19a65f2c5e10-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Demonstrators at the June 12 protest said they were dismayed that tear gas was used against them. ## Crashing the legislature On July 1, hundreds of thousands of people marched to denounce police brutality [and Beijing’s growing influence over the city](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/world/asia/hong-kong-china-handover.html) on the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China. A group of demonstrators also [smashed their way into the local legislature](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/world/asia/china-hong-kong-protest.html?module=inline) using metal bars and makeshift battering rams. That confrontation reflected a wider attempt by the protest movement to target symbols of authority, including local police stations and the Chinese government’s liaison office in the city. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-2/merlin_157300377_4e1017e9-8b30-4d02-b27d-e095752773bf-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) In a turning point for the movement, antigovernment protesters stormed the legislature on July 1. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-2b/merlin_157302921_6a26cbdc-c753-497a-a96a-0a5f919d87e5-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters occupied and vandalized the Legislative Council building. ## Clashing with the police Street clashes between black-clad protesters and the police became routine. Increasingly, protesters coordinated their actions on the fly using encrypted messaging — an effort to evade the police and new restrictions on public gatherings. Some began carrying makeshift weapons, [attacking opponents on the streets and vandalizing businesses](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/07/world/asia/hong-kong-protesters-masks-violence.html) seen as supporting the police and the government. A slogan from the movie series “The Hunger Games” — “If we burn, you burn with us” — [became a call to arms](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/27/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-violence.html). Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-3/merlin_158525535_768fac6f-9fbe-48da-b560-df179f013359-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) The police fired tear gas during a clash with protesters at Yuen Long, a border district, on July 27. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-3b/merlin_157925496_f7e43a49-52d9-4eb5-af9c-3e868a795435-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters and police officers in the Sha Tin neighborhood on July 14. ## Getting attacked by a mob On July 21, after protesters vandalized Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, [a mob attacked a group of protesters in a train station](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/22/world/asia/hong-kong-protest-mob-attack-yuen-long.html). Dozens were injured, including journalists and a pro-democracy legislator. The appearance of police inaction that night would fuel widespread anger toward the Hong Kong police force, and suspicion that officers were unwilling to protect antigovernment protesters. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-4/merlin_158463924_537b6724-8144-40e2-a6c7-bc8fbfcac6a1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Some protesters became targets when a mob attacked them at a train station on July 21. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-add1/merlin_158321091_64017c25-c06a-4c3d-9a39-66017fcde71c-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Calvin So, a cook, said he was walking near a protest in the district of Yuen Long when he was attacked by a mob. ## Shutting down the airport By August, Hong Kong’s sleek and efficient airport was the center of protesters’ focus. First there were days of sit-ins by demonstrators who wanted to voice their complaints to some of the tens of thousands of travelers who move through the airport each day. [The protesters then blocked some travelers](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/12/world/asia/hong-kong-airport-protest.html), snarling flights and causing hundreds of cancellations. [After protesters attacked two men](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/14/world/asia/hong-kong-airport-protests.html) from mainland China, the airport obtained a court injunction barring access to its terminals to anyone except employees and travelers bearing flight tickets. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-add2/merlin_159183642_646961d9-5d5c-4b18-b9ff-b7a3629d7fc9-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters staged a sit-in at the airport in Hong Kong on Aug. 12. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-5/merlin_159228096_bc6f6ec1-45f5-472f-997f-12e6d0ca5f82-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters and the police clashed at the airport on Aug. 13. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-6/merlin_161894097_0b362398-bc87-45aa-8ae5-621cebb56c14-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters engulfed in tear gas during a clash with the police in Hong Kong on Oct. 1, China’s National Day. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-add3/merlin_161894055_efb839f5-5a63-4cd9-957f-005768643c29-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Riot police officers in the district of Wong Tai Sin on Oct. 1. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-add6/merlin_164292249_69ef9e48-10d5-4507-8b3f-324e4ab84fbc-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters on the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong clashed with riot police officers on Nov. 12. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-add9/merlin_164551200_9ee3edb1-0559-44b8-aaf9-d0c98c1e5978-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters threw firebombs at the police from behind barricades at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Nov. 17. ## Winning an election The protest movement [earned a stunning victory](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/24/world/asia/hong-kong-election-results.html) in late November as pro-democracy candidates captured most of the seats in local elections for district councils, one of the lowest elected offices in the city. It was a vivid expression of the city’s aspirations and its anger with the Chinese government, and the protests subsided for several weeks after that. On New Year’s Day, demonstrators [returned to the streets in full force](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/01/world/asia/hong-kong-protest.html) in a protest that started peacefully but descended into violent clashes with the police. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-8/merlin_164958756_84ed95f5-6d07-4790-9151-a4307301df14-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Democracy supporters celebrating in Hong Kong on Nov. 25. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-8b/merlin_166547748_5643ddcd-20c0-47c2-b8ec-c9957edac214-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) The police rounded up several dozen people in the Causeway Bay area on Jan. 1. ## Pausing for a pandemic Early this year, after the coronavirus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and spread around the world, [the protests eased](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/world/asia/coronavirus-protest-hong-kong-india-lebanon.html) as residents stayed home and social-distancing rules were imposed. But demonstrators pressured the government in other ways, notably through a union of [hospital employees who went on strike](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/03/world/asia/hong-kong-coronavirus-china-border.html) to force the government to slow travel from mainland China to lessen the risk of spreading the coronavirus. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-1ad/merlin_170758281_143d7c44-01dd-4bd6-8175-0a02895dc438-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) The area of Tsim Sha Tsui, the site of several protests in 2019. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-2ad/merlin_170763468_37218906-8063-491b-bed9-94ecf5508ea3-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) The Hong Kong airport, nearly empty on March 20. ## Facing new scrutiny Lunchtime rallies re-emerged this spring, though on a much smaller scale than the protests by office workers and others that brought traffic to a halt in key business districts last year. Last month, protesters took to the streets to vent their anger over [Beijing’s plan to impose new national security laws](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/world/asia/why-are-hong-kong-protesters.html) and a bill in front of the local legislature that would ban the disrespect of China’s national anthem. The police, who have taken a more aggressive approach to clamping down on protests after a new commissioner was installed last year, [arrested at least 180 people](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/24/world/asia/hong-kong-protest-coronavirus-china.html). Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photo-may-24/merlin_172782957_46ab7244-0991-4bbe-88d5-e3c440e0cabc-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Riot police officers are moving more quickly to stop protests like this one in the Causeway Bay area on May 24. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-may1/merlin_172871157_f6e546de-62c2-4edc-aafb-52235f034a82-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) The police fired pepper balls in Central on May 27. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-11/merlin_173190918_e3c48165-9973-417e-81f2-d0f06cb17317-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Hong Kong residents flouted a police ban as they gathered in Victoria Park on Thursday. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-11b/merlin_173190900_0f15455f-4fde-4348-9b47-12604e833a94-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) A candlelight vigil at Victoria Park on Thursday. ## One Year of Protests On Tuesday evening, a few thousand people, some still in their office clothes, marched through downtown Hong Kong, holding up the lights of their cellphones and chanting protest slogans like, “Fight for freedom! Stand with Hong Kong!” Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-new1/merlin_173361420_8f28d16a-0b80-4d53-9c14-b478bff64033-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Protesters marking the anniversary of the first major political march, on Tuesday. Image ![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/09/world/09hongkong-photos-new2/merlin_173361474_2491bc47-e531-4dee-a283-023108056d05-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Police officers in riot gear in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Tiffany May contributed reporting. [Austin Ramzy](https://www.nytimes.com/by/austin-ramzy) is a Hong Kong reporter, focusing on coverage of the city and also of regional and breaking news. He previously covered major events around Asia from Taipei and Beijing. Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-one-year-later.html#after-bottom)
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