Protest

1st of July Marches

The Hong Kong 1st of July protest is an annual protest which was originally led by the 'Civil Human Rights Front' since the 1997 handover on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day also known as HKSAR Establishment Day. However, it was not "popular" until 2003 that the march drew large public attention by opposing the legislation of the 'Basic Law'. The 2003 protest with over 500,000 marchers was the largest protest ever seen in Hong Kong since the 1997 handover. Prior to this, only the pro-democracy protest on 21 May 1989 drew more people with 1.5 million marchers in Hong Kong sympathising with the participants of the Tiananmen Square protest of 1989. Since then, 1st of July marches have been held every year as a channel to demand democracy, universal suffrage, rights of minorities, protection of freedom of speech and lots more of political concerns.