Protesters cover their right eyes as they attend the Stand in Silence for the 74th Anniversary of the Liberation of Hong Kong event at the cenotaph in Hong Kong on Aug. 30, 2019. Beijing would rather Hong Kong's authorities deal with the city's protests, although it will step in if it needs to.
What Happened With new protests and potential violence in Hong Kong a distinct possibility in the weeks ahead, the city's police force is striving to stay a step ahead of its competition. Authorities detained seven prominent activists, including Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Andy Chan, on Aug. 29 and Aug. 30 on charges that they were organizing protests. The arrests coincided with a ban on a major rally that the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), a key organizer against the contentious extradition bill that first ignited Hong Kong's protests , had scheduled for Aug. 31. As a result of the prohibition, the CHRF called off the rally, during which it had planned to demand universal suffrage on the fifth anniversary of Beijing's controversial white paper that effectively rejected the request.
