HONG KONG (AP) — Police in Hong Kong fired tear gas Saturday at protesters who defied authorities’ warnings not to march in a neighborhood where six days earlier a mob apparently targeting demonstrators brutally attacked people in a train station.

Protesters wearing black streamed through Yuen Long, even though police refused to grant permission for the march, citing risks of confrontations between demonstrators and local residents.

For the protesters, it was a show of defiance against the white-clad assailants who beat dozens of people last Sunday night, including some demonstrators heading home after the latest mass protest in the summer-long pro-democracy movement. Police said some of the attackers at the train station were connected to triad gangs and others were villagers who live in the area.

The streets of Yuen Long became a sea of umbrellas as the march began Saturday afternoon. A symbol going back to the Occupy Central protests that shook Hong Kong in 2014, umbrellas have become tools to help protesters conceal their identities from police cameras as well as shields against tear gas and pepper spray. Some also wore masks to obscure their faces.

“Hong Kong police know the law and break the law,” protesters chanted as they made their way through the streets.

Less than three hours after the start of the march, police fired tear gas to try to disperse crowds that had ignored authorities’ appeals to leave the area. Police said in a statement that they were clearing out the protesters, who were “holding iron poles, self-made shields and even removing fences from roads.”

Some protesters also endangered police officers’ lives by surrounding and vandalizing an occupied police vehicle, the statement added.

As the demonstration rolled into the evening, officers in riot gear faced off with protesters using wooden sheets as shields. Live footage from broadcaster RTHK showed protesters on one street forcing back riot police by throwing umbrellas and waving rods at them. On another street, officers repeatedly raised warnings and fired tear gas at masked demonstrators who were standing their ground.

Hong Kong’s public transit network had announced that its trains would not be making their usual stops in Yuen Long on Saturday, but protesters later reported being able to disembark at stations in the neighborhood. Several area businesses and public facilities were closed in anticipation of the march. Service at a nursing center was temporarily suspended, and sports venues shut down early.

A few hours before the march started, a man was arrested in Yuen Long for injuring someone with a knife, police said.

Massive demonstrations began in Hong Kong early last month against an extradition bill that would have allowed suspects to face trial in mainland China, where critics say their rights would be compromised. The bill was eventually suspended, but protesters’ demands have grown to include direct elections, the dissolution of the current legislature and an investigation into alleged police brutality in the Chinese territory.

A former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under the framework of “one country, two systems.” The arrangement promises the city certain democratic freedoms that are not afforded mainland citizens, but some residents say these liberties have been steadily eroded in recent years after the arrests of booksellers and democracy activists.

A distrust of China’s Communist Party-led central government in Beijing has undergirded the protests this summer. After last Sunday’s march, a group of protesters vandalized Hong Kong’s Liaison Office, which represents the mainland government. They spray-painted the building’s surveillance cameras and threw eggs and black ink at the Chinese national emblem, an act that Beijing has vehemently condemned.

In response to the police’s objection to Saturday’s march in Yuen Long, protesters have cheekily labeled the procession a “shopping trip,” as well as a memorial service for former Chinese Premier Li Peng, who died on Monday. Li was a hard-liner best known for announcing martial law during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests that ended in bloodshed.

Some Yuen Long residents participated in the march, while others stood outside with signs warning protesters not to enter. For their part, demonstrators pasted calls for democracy on sticky notes around the area.

“After the violence (last Sunday), as a resident of Yuen Long, I think I have the responsibility to come out,” said a 24-year-old man surnamed Man. “After all these protests in past months, the government still hasn’t responded to us.”

With reporting by Associated Press

More at: https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2019/july/hong-kong-police-fire-tear-gas-after-protesters-defy-ban

This article that shares some of the voices of the youth in HK.

As you pray, you may listen to the hearts of those protesting/fighting.

(1.) afraid of post-2048 one country one system HK (with restrictions on personal freedoms and justice)

(2.) no hope for a house / home of their own.

Matthew (from Hong Kong)

Pray: For the democratic rights of the people of Hong Kong to be preserved and respected.
Pray: For a de-escalation of the situation and that anymarches will be peaceful.

Demonstrations in Hong Kong have drawn in the youth, parents, first-time protesters and the church, while migrant workers have quietly and consistently participated since the beginning. Migrants distrust the Chinese justice system. In June a Chinese trawler rammed into a Filipino fishing vessel in the South China Sea (called the West Philippine Sea in the Philippines), over which China has claimed dominion. The Filipino boat’s 22-man crew ended up in the water, fearing for their lives, for hours as their vessel sank. They were ultimately rescued by Vietnamese sailors. Chinese officials downplayed the incident as an accident. Onlookers call it one of many dangerous disagreements where China has used its strength to strong-arm neighbouring nations, displaying unwanted authoritarian actions. One migrant said, ‘The moment you make your opposition to certain government policies known, you are treated like a threat to state security, and can be jailed for years.’

The 1984 treaty between the UK and China paved the way for sovereignty over the territory to pass back to Beijing. A joint declaration set out how the rights of Hong Kong citizens should be protected for the next 100 years. Hong Kong has a judicial system independent from China, but a controversial proposed extradition bill flies in the face of the treaty. It caused huge protests, and activists occupied parliament buildings. China’s reaction to this event prompted Jeremy Hunt to summon its ambassador on 3 July, saying that he rejected Beijing’s ‘unacceptable behaviour and inaccurate remarks’. On 4 July China warned the UK not to interfere in its domestic affairs and labelled the UK ‘hypocritical’, saying that it no longer has a say in how Hong Kong should be run and managed. See also ‘Hong Kong Christians’ in world section.

Last week we praised God for the peaceful anti-extradition bill rallies in city streets. This week violent demonstrators stormed the legislative building in protest against the extradition bill. Many Christians feared for their lives in light of the now-suspended bill, due to China having some of the most restrictive religious freedom laws on earth. According to the law, religious assemblies in public areas are not deemed illegal, so if people sing hymns together, it could actually work as a protection and guarantee that they stay safe. But this week people started to sing ‘Sing hallelujah to the Lord’ to protect themselves in chaotic scenes of huge groups storming into government buildings, painting graffiti on the walls and even draping the front lectern in a British Hong Kong flag used during the colonial period. Amid the political turmoil, Hong Kong’s many Christian leaders have called for peace and progress. Pray for people with different positions and opinions to listen to each other.

We are excited to announce the North East Asia Prayer Council gathering in Hong Kong, July 22nd, with Gloria Au Yeung and her amazing team.

We would be honoured to have friends of IPC from around the world to join us and also if you could help us get the word out to invite key prayer leaders that you know from Korea, Japan, Hong Kong/China, and Mongolia.

People that attend are also encouraged to stay with us for the Oneness Gathering with David Demian and his team from China, July 24-27th.

My heart for this is to see a true spirit of John 17 unity and oneness grow between these beautiful nations and prayer movements.

Dr Jason Hubbard - Executive Coordinator

International Prayer Connect

In this season, we have seen the Lord highlighting our Chinese brothers and sisters in Christ – not only in Asia, but across the Globe, and not only for their own breakthrough, but also for the sake of the Global Body. This July there will be another “Chinese Homecoming Gathering” in Hong Kong, where several thousand Chinese believers (from China, throughout Asia and beyond) along with other Global Family members in Christ will gather together to worship, pray and seek God’s face for the sake of seeing His Kingdom come and His will being done, on earth as it is heaven (Matthew 6:10). 

At this time, the Lord is particularly highlighting the need for the kind of ‘oneness’ within the Body that Jesus prays about in John 17:21-23.  We are responding to His longing for us to be ‘one’ as He and the Father are ‘one’ so that the world will know that He was sent by the Father.  

This is a personal invitation to all those connected with IPC, as well as all family and friends, to join your Global Family for this “Chinese Homecoming Gathering: Oneness” July 24-27, 2019 in Hong Kong.  And, whether you can or cannot join us physically, we encourage you to join us through prayer for this very significant time. 

Prayer points:

1. As God is doing a deep, exciting thing, the enemy has been working overtime trying to irritate the Chinese Family and create hostility in their hearts against each other. Please pray that the body of Christ will transcend the political spirit and continue to declare "We are one," in the spirit, so that the secular world can see the Way, the Truth and the Light through His Body. 
   
2. Pray that the Lord will protect the fruits of unity within the Chinese Body of Christ and that the church would be able to overcome the disturbances of the political spirit.
   
3. Pray for safe travel of attendants from their countries to Hong Kong.  *Especially pray for favor in getting visas for those from “restricted” countries* – as they will be the majority.
   
4. Pray for the financial provisions for the "Oneness" Chinese Gathering.
   
5. Pray for the Hong Kong administration team and that there will be plenty of volunteers. Pray that they will all flow as a family working together in love, honor, and God's anointing. Bless the department leaders with strength, wisdom and health and also pray they will have the heart of the Father as they host and receive the nations coming.
   
6. Pray for the worship family, including the prophetic dance team and the team of prophetic artists – that they will flow as one with constant sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and that they will get lost in His Presence and be totally enveloped in His love and protection.
   
7. Pray for travel mercy and physical adjustment for those travelling from overseas to Hong Kong. 

Thank you for your invaluable prayer support!

Please note that this is an open Gathering and everyone is most welcome to attend!  Details can be found at https://watchmen.org/upcoming/chinese2019

https://watchmen.org/upcoming/chinese2019

More info and book here:http://www.asiagathering.hk/

An estimated two million people filled Hong Kong streets in protests against the government, which had been pursuing an extradition agreement that could have sent activists, advocates and even foreign nationals to mainland China for legal proceedings. But even after the bill was pulled, the protests not only continued: they have grown, and through the ongoing protest, an unlikely song has rapidly become the unofficial anthem by tens and hundreds of thousands. The uniting song is ‘Sing Hallelujah to the Lord’. A quarter of the entire population sang the anthem. Praise the Lord, Hong Kong! Praise the Lord, indeed!

A proposed bill allowing mainland China to pursue government critics and criminals in Hong Kong and extradite them to China drew protest marches by thousands on 9-11 June, causing a debate on 12 June to be cancelled. The Catholic diocese of Hong Kong joined the social welfare sector and the largest teachers’ union in voicing concerns about the bill. Two thousand counsellors, carers, therapists, and religious groups went on strike. A strike organiser said, ‘We are forced to take a stand on this moral question of right and wrong.’ Several other Christian denominations in Hong Kong also voiced concerns. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters, who threw bricks and projectiles back. People are worried that the civil rights and freedoms guaranteed to Hong Kong under the ‘one country two systems’ arrangement will be eroded under the new law. China often uses accusations of non-political crimes to prosecute its critics.

In the Philippines, officials are taking stock of the immense damage caused by Typhoon Mangkhut. On Luzon landslides buried a church where people were sheltering, and engulfed a miners’ bunkhouse with up to fifty inside. The casualties are expected to be 100+. Pray for God to comfort the bereaved and bring healing to the sick. An estimated 5.7 million people have been affected by Mangkhut, and delivering aid supplies is a major challenge. Pray for many workers to come and help repair the infrastructure. In the town of Baggao, where YWAM have a base, houses were demolished, power lines were downed, roads were cut off by landslides, and many remain submerged. Pray for God to give strength and wisdom to those offering counsel and shelter. Rice and corn crops waiting for harvest are under floodwater. Pray for the fishermen and farmers who have lost everything. Mangkhut moved on to Hong Kong and China, tearing off roofs, blowing in doors and shattering glass windows. Pray for the evacuees now returning to devastation.

As our whole city of HK is celebrating the 20th anniversary of returning to China, many wonderful historical things are fall unto place at the same time! Yet, July 1 is indeed a new era for our City as our new Chief Executive is inaugurating into the 5th Special Administrative Regional Government for China. President Xi will also be coming HK this week and we are now greatly mobilising our city to pray like never before to turn the enemy's scheme of dividing Hong Kong from China into something godly.

Gloria Au Yeung

Kingdom Harvest Ministries

Please pray for the overthrow of division and any violent demonstrations being planned; that the Gospel of Christ will touch the public officials and all the different classes and occupational groups, especially the younger generation; and that Hong Kong will indeed enter into its destiny to be a great blessing to the world!