Asia

Hong Kong Protesters Block Roads to Prevent Chief Executive From Leaving Stadium - Reports

BEIJING (Sputnik) – A group of protesters used fences and bricks on Thursday to block the roads near Hong Kong's Queen Elizabeth Stadium, where Chief Executive Carrie Lam was meeting with public figures, the RTHK media outlet reported.
Sputnik

According to the RTHK media outlet, the demonstrators likely prevented Lam from leaving the stadium, but her current location remains unknown.

Despite the police warning demonstrators that they were taking part in an unauthorised rally, they remained in the streets. The police have not intervened yet.

Earlier in the day, Lam launched a political dialogue with Hong Kong residents amid anti-government demonstrations. The talks, which involved 130 people, lasted for some 2.5 hours.

The mass protests in Hong Kong started in early June as a reaction to proposed amendments to the city's extradition laws. On 12 June, the day the bill was scheduled for a second reading in the city's Legislative Council, hundreds of thousands of protesters filled the streets, eventually leading to clashes with security forces. Dozens of people ended up being injured, while dozens more were detained.

In early September, Lam announced her decision to formally withdraw the controversial extradition bill. However, protesters said that they would continue rallying until she met their remaining demands, which include ending legal procedures against fellow demonstrators and launching an investigation into police violence.

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