Timeline of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests (April 2020)
This is a timeline of events in April 2020 surrounding the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. The COVID-19 pandemic had caused a decline in the number and scale of the protests, although the Hong Kong government, police and protesters expected that with signs of the pandemic beginning to ease in Hong Kong, major protests of the kind the city had seen before the pandemic would again erupt in summer. Most protest-related activities happened online, especially on games like Animal Crossing. This resulted in a ban on the sale of Animal Crossing in China. Hong Kong police arrested
15 Democrats on the morning of 18 April, citing their alleged participation in "unlawful" gatherings that had taken place in August and October 2019 in the context of the protests. This drew international condemnation, with accusations being made that the crackdown had been carried out at the behest of the Chinese central government, and taken advantage of many Western democracies being severely hit by the pandemic, hampering their response.
Protesters at Cityplaza
Police with pepper spray
Protesters outside Cityplaza
Police cordon outside of Cityplaza
Timeline of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests (July 2019)
This segment of the timeline of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests covers the month of July 2019.
The anniversary of the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China on 1 July saw large daytime protests. In the evening of that day, protesters stormed the Legislative Council Building and defaced symbols, with police only moving in after midnight. This incident, which was sharply condemned by the government of Carrie Lam, did however not lead to a split between peaceful and violent protesters. Observers linked the understanding of the non-violent protesters for the violent wing to the lack of willingness of the Lam government to engage in dialogue about the protesters' five demands. Apart from major protests on Sundays, there were also mostly peaceful demonstrations during the week.
The annual 1 July march at the Jardine's Bazaar shopping district.
The "Black Bauhinia" flag hung by the protesters, flying at LegCo Building
Protesters occupying Harcourt Road during the afternoon
Hundreds of protesters near LegCo Building wearing protective helmets at night