HONG KONG (Reuters) – China’s decision to impose national security laws on Hong Kong has exacerbated public and international concerns over the erosion of freedoms in the city and has rekindled anti-government protests in the financial centre.
FILE PHOTO: A person sprays paint over Hong Kong’s coats of arms inside a chamber after protesters broke into the Legislative Council building during the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China in Hong Kong, China July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
The national security legislation prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to move ahead and strip the financial hub of the special treatment Washington affords it that is seen as key to its success as a finance hub.
Following is a timeline of the key dates around Hong Kong’s protest movement triggered by a now-abandoned extradition bill:
2019
February – Hong Kong’s Security Bureau proposes amendments to extradition laws that would allow extraditions to mainland China and other countries not covered by existing treaties.
March 31 – Thousands take to the streets to protest against the proposed extradition bill.
April 3 – Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam’s government introduces amendments to the extradition laws that would allow criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial.
April 28 – Tens of thousands march on Hong Kong’s Legislative Council to demand the scrapping of the proposed amendments.
May 11 – Scuffles break out in the legislature between pro-democracy lawmakers and those loyal to Beijing.
May 30 – Concessions to the extradition bill are introduced but critics say they are not enough.
June 6 – More than 3,000 Hong Kong lawyers dressed in black take part in a rare protest march.
June 9 – More than half a million people take to the streets.
June 12 – Police fire rubber bullets and tear gas during the city’s largest and most violent protests in decades. Government offices are shut.
June 15 – Lam indefinitely delays extradition law.
July 1 – Protesters storm the Legislative Council on the 22nd anniversary of the handover from Briti