Protests at shopping centers in Hong Kong were held again Friday, one day after China's National People's Congress approved imposing a national security law on Hong Kong.
Protesters gathered during lunchtime at an upscale shopping center in Hong Kong’s busy central business district.
"To take my last breath, I would come out and fight for freedom. There's no freedom of speech, gatherings and education. They are trying to suppress as much as possible," said Jerome Lau, 70-year-old protester.
Protesters observing coronavirus restrictions were holding a banner reading “Free Hong Kong – Revolution Now.”
Other banners draped over the balcony read “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times” and "Hong Kong Independence," exactly what the protesters are fighting for and what Beijing is trying to suppress.
Police were on stand-by outside the shopping mall but did not seem to intervene.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi have slammed China’s new security law on Hong Kong.
A strong condemnation also came Friday from German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who said the European Union agreed that Hong Kong’s “high degree of autonomy cannot be undermined."
“We expect the freedoms and rights of citizens to be respected clearly and in the principle of one country, two systems," Maas said.