Thousands of protesters return to Hong Kong streets after day of violence

Protesters demanding the resignation of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam took to the streets by the thousands Sunday after clashes with police the previous day, according to CNN.

Demonstrators on Sunday gathered in the city’s Chater Gardens but began to march east despite their lack of a permit from police, who said they were concerned about potential clashes in the area, which is close to government headquarters, according to CNN.

{mosads}Protest organizer Ventus Lau told CNN the police’s imposition was “unreasonable” and could prevent any “peaceful protest in the near future.”

“This is a serious threat to our freedom of expression in Hong Kong,” he said.

Thousands of protesters left the park and began a march through the city by mid-afternoon, according to the network.

The protests were originally in opposition to a bill that would have allowed the extradition of certain Hong Kong residents to the Chinese mainland but since Lam announced the bill was “dead,” they have continued with broader demands for Lam’s resignation and an independent probe into police tactics against demonstrators.

On Saturday, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in Yuen Long near the Chinese border, which had earlier been the site of an attack on protesters by men with sticks and iron bars. Several of the assailants, some of whom are believed to be linked to triad criminal organizations, have since been arrested.