Hong Kong starts new year with new protests

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Hong Kong police detained about 400 people during Wednesday protests that started out peaceful. More than 1 million people turned out across the city, some wearing costumes and others chanting, “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our era.”

What caused the flare-up? The tensions started when police fired teargas on protesters in Wan Chai district after they hurled objects at officers. Police asked protest organizers to call off the march early due to the scuffles. Later, they used water cannons and rounded up protesters on illegal assembly charges. Authorities have detained about 7,000 people since demonstrations began in June.

Dig deeper: Read June Cheng’s report in WORLD Magazine on how China has used propaganda to target pro-democracy protesters.

Onize Oduah

Onize is WORLD’s Africa reporter and deputy global desk chief. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate and earned a journalism degree from Minnesota State University–Moorhead. Onize resides in Abuja, Nigeria.

@onize_ohiks