Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Hong Kong to rally against the Chinese government's plans to impose a new national security law that would allow mainland agencies to operate more freely within the city, CNN reported May 24. Demonstrators clashed with police and damaged stores, while injuring some bystanders over disputes about barricades. Why It Matters: These were the largest protests in the city in months and came well before the June 4 lifting of Hong Kong’s social distancing requirements to contain the spread of COVID-19, which showcases the groundswell of outrage within the opposition against the Chinese government’s controversial new security law. It is still unclear, however, how the next round of pro-democracy demonstrations will take shape, given there seems little hope of dissuading Beijing from imposing the measures. This may mean lower turnouts and overall less exuberance from the general population.