Hong Kong police fired tear gas and pepper spray at hundreds of people protesting a proposed new security law they believe infringes on the city’s freedoms.
The demonstrators chanted pro-democracy slogans as riot police using loudspeakers ordered them to disperse, calling the gathering unlawful.
The proposed bill introduced Friday at the opening session of China's national legislative body forbids secessionist and subversive activities, and what it labels foreign interference and terrorism.
About 200 political figures from around the world, including 17 members of the U.S. Congress, signed a joint statement Saturday saying Beijing's proposed laws are a "comprehensive assault on the city's autonomy, rule of law and fundamental freedoms."
The statement also said the proposed bill constituted a "flagrant breach" of the Joint Declaration which returned the former British colony to China in 1997 under the framework of “one country, two systems.”