Hong Kong protesters formed giant human chains and marched through shopping malls on New Year’s Eve, urging people not to give up the fight for democracy in 2020, Trend reports citing Reuters.
Police were out in force to quell any unrest and authorities canceled the popular midnight fireworks for the first time in a decade, citing security concerns.
A “Symphony of Lights” was planned instead, involving projections on the city’s tallest skyscrapers after a countdown to midnight.
“This year there are no fireworks, but there will probably be tear gas somewhere,” said 25-year-old IT worker Sam. “For us it’s not really New Year’s Eve. We have to resist every day.”
As evening fell, thousands of masked protesters, many dressed in black and wearing facemasks, stood in long chains along sidewalks in several areas of the Chinese-ruled city.
On Nathan Road, an important artery on the Kowloon peninsula, protesters in a chain stretching for several kilometers raised lit-up smartphones as passing cars and buses honked in support and tourists in party hats and 2020-shaped glasses took pictures. Many protesters held up cards reading “Let’s keep fighting together in 2020.”