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Human sea of white washes through Hong Kong as masses register anger over extradition bill
- Turnout – which organisers put at 1.03 million – so large the final marchers left starting point in Causeway Bay about four hours after the first group
- For many, march brought back memories of 500,000-strong protest in 2003, which led to shelving of plans to enact national security legislation
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Wister Au hit the streets on Sunday – along with up to a million others – just as he had during the 2003 protest against national security legislation and the 2014 Occupy movement for democracy.
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This time, he was also marching for his 14-month-old son Marcus.
In all, 1.03 million people took part in Sunday’s march, according to the organiser Civil Human Rights Front, double the turnout of the 2003 protest. Police put the figure at 240,000.
They came, young and old and from all walks of lives, to say no to the government’s proposed law amendments, which would allow the transfer of fugitives to jurisdictions with which Hong Kong has no extradition deal, including mainland China.
The city’s streets were awash with white, as protesters heeded the organisers’ calls to wear the colour symbolising light.
“I just had to come here today. Who knows if we will be extradited to the mainland in the future if the bill is passed? For my child, it’s an education for him today,” said Au, an IT professional, who brought Marcus along in his stroller.
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