At least 90 people have been arrested allegedly for violating the national security law in Hong Kong as protestors took to the streets against the draconian law imposed by mainland China in June.
According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), police fired pepper balls at anti-government protestors in Mong Kok area of Hong Kong.
The people gathered following online calls by anonymous activists who had aimed to draw 50,000 people onto the streets.
Despite heavy police presence in the Jordan neighbourhood, the protestors chanted slogans -- "Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times".
League of Social Democrats activists "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung, Raphael Wong Ho-ming and Figo Chan Ho-wun were among those arrested after raising a banner outside Eaton Hotel in Jordan to criticise the government for postponing the polls.
"I want my right to vote! Shame [on the government] for postponing the elections!" Leung said.
Police sources earlier said 2,000 riot officers would be deployed across West Kowloon, with water cannons and armoured vehicles on standby.
The protests were orgsed on the day Hongkongers were supposed to be casting their votes to choose lawmakers for the next terms.
However, the pro-China Hong Kong administrations postponed the election citing the rising coronavirus concerns in late July.
The SCMP reported that critics have deemed the move as politically motivated.
A 63-year-old protester said she was not worried despite the heavy police deployment. The woman, named Yim, was unhappy about the postponement of the elections.
"Why not let me vote? You let people do mass virus testing, but why not let people participate in an election?" Yim said, referring to the government's citywide coronavirus screening scheme. "If you are postponing the elections for one month, that would still be acceptable. But that is not the case now. Why does it have to be so?".
( With inputs from ANI )
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