Jul 21, 2019

Hong Kong police launch tear gas at protestors

Hundreds of thousands of protesters running away from the tear gas during an anti-extradition bill march in Hong Kong. Photo: Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images

Hong Kong police fired tear gas into a crowd of hundreds of thousands as activists came out in droves Sunday night to occupy government buildings, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The big picture: Hong Kong has now experienced 7 consecutive weekends of anti-government protests, as the former British colony continues to weather its worst political crisis in decades. The government condemned protestors who stormed the Chinese liaison building, claiming that "[s]uch acts openly challenge the authority of the central government and touch the bottom line of the ‘one country, two systems’ principle," per the Journal.

Go deeper: Hong Kong's people stand up to China

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Rebecca Falconer, Marisa Fernandez

Over 1 million people rally as Hong Kong marks 11th weekend of protests

Pro-democracy protesters gather for a rally in Victoria Park, Hong Kong, on Sunday. Photo: Isaac Lawrence/AFP/Getty Images

Hong Kong pro-democracy protest organizers on Sunday called for the police chief and the security secretary to resign over their conduct toward activists, as the city experiences an 11th straight weekend of demonstrations, CNN reports.

What's new: Organizers say 1.7 million people took part in Sunday's peaceful mass protest in Hong Kong, though police are still surveying their own crowd estimates. Thousands still occupied the roads into the night outside the government headquarters in the Admiralty district.

Go deeperUpdated Aug 18, 2019

Orion Rummler

Civil servants join unrest as tens of thousands protest in Hong Kong

Riot police shout warnings in Hong Kong's Mong Kok district on August 3. Photo: Isaac Lawrence/AFP/Getty Images

Tens of thousands of Hongkongers faced tear gas and police beatings on Saturday in the city's ninth consecutive weekend of pro-democracy protests.

What's changed: Thousands of Hong Kong civil servants joined more than 40,000 protestors — a number provided by organizers — to demonstrate against the government on Friday. They violated Hong Kong's Civil Service Code, which calls for "total loyalty" to the Chief Executive and the government, by demanding that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam step down.

Go deeperAug 3, 2019

Richard Haass

Hong Kong protests assert the freedoms China seeks to constrain

Pro-democracy protestors at Hong Kong's international airport. Photo: Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images

Intensifying protests in Hong Kong — continuing weeks after the shelving of a controversial extradition law — have fueled a broader struggle over the city's character and future.

Why it matters: Hong Kong remains an important financial gateway from China to the world, although Shanghai and other mainland cities have taken on part of that role. Above all, the central government in Beijing wants to avoid the precedent of a popular political movement successfully challenging President Xi and the authority of the Communist Party.

Go deeperAug 14, 2019