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| The July 1 protests in Hong Kong began in 2019 like any other year, with hundreds of thousands of people marching on the streets demanding democracy. But hours later, protesters stormed the city’s legislature, a dramatic escalation in the city’s challenge to Beijing that set a more confrontational tone for the months of protests that followed. |
| Ignoring calls for restraint, dozens of protesters who had gathered outside the city’s legislature began ramming its entrance with metal bars and a utility cart. They later peeled away sheets of shattered glass and charged inside, damaging symbols of China’s central government and spray-painting the walls with protest messages and profanities. |
| The weeks of protests had at first centered around public opposition to an extradition bill that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be tried in courts in mainland China. The protesters’ demands expanded to include calls for democracy and greater freedom, amid widespread concern that China was chipping away at the civil liberties Hong Kong enjoyed since China reclaimed the territory from Britain. |
| In the legislature, protesters left angry anti-police and anti-government slogans. |
| “It was you who taught us that peaceful marches are useless,” read a message, sprawled around a pillar. |
| The slogan “abolish functional constituencies” was also scrawled on the tables in the legislative chamber, referring to the 30 seats, out of 70 total, that had been reserved for the representatives of select industry groups and pro-Beijing interest groups. Hong Kong’s pro-democracy figures had long enjoyed a greater share of the vote in the city’s limited direct elections, but the system was stacked against them, ensuring the pro-Beijing camp controlled the legislature. |
| In the years since, Beijing has moved to wipe out what little opposition was left in the legislature. |
| In 2020, Beijing forced the ouster of four pro-democracy lawmakers from their elected offices that then prompted the rest of the opposition to resign en masse. Months later, many of the former lawmakers were arrested, and they remain in custody awaiting trial on national security charges. |
| Last year, Beijing imposed a drastic overhaul of the political system to allow only “patriots” to run as candidates. The city held an election in December under the new rules, drawing a record low number of voters. Most of the city’s popular pro-democracy candidates were either in police custody or in exile. |
| Pro-establishment candidates won all but one seat. |
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