The Hong Kong protest movement reached a milestone Tuesday: It was 80 days since the mass march that started the near-daily demonstrations across the city.
That means the protest campaign has lasted longer than the 2014 Umbrella Movement, in which demonstrators occupied roads to call for greater democracy. And even in the face of threatened intervention by the Chinese military, the protesters show no sign of stopping.
Hong Kongers first took to the streets June 9 over a proposed lawallowing extraditions to mainland China. Their demands later grew. It is now the biggest political crisis in Hong Kong since Britain returned its onetime colony to Chinese control in 1997.
Photographer Lam Yik Fei has spent the past 12 weeks on the sweltering summer streets of Hong Kong, dodging tear gas canisters and pepper spray to document each step of the movement for The New York Times. He was there June 9, when hundreds of thousands of protesters poured through the skyscrapered canyons of downtown, and again this past Sunday, when a police officer fired a warning shot while under attack from protesters.
Among his most powerful images from the past 80 days:
June
Organisers said 1 million people joined the first march, or nearly 1 in every 7 people in Hong Kong.
When the government refused to back down on the extradition bill, protesters came out again June 12 and surrounded the legislature. The police fired tear gas canisters — the first of many; by one count more than 1,800 would be fired by early August.
Three days later, Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's chief executive, announced that the extradition bill would be suspended, but not withdrawn. That did little to stop the public furore. The next day, protesters marched again. Organisers said nearly 2 million participated.
Hong Kong residents turned out for protests against a proposed extradition law on June 9, and the demonstrations have continued. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
A clash on the evening of June 9. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Riot police patrol outside Legislative Council early on June 12. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
As protesters approached the legislative building, the officers began firing tear gas. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Demonstrators at the June 12 protest said they were dismayed that tear gas was used against them. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
A march on June 16. It was the third time in a week that masses of Hong Kongers shut down central roads. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Protesters said the extradition bill would rob them of a last vestige of insulation they had from Beijing. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's chief executive, publicly apologised on June 18 for having proposed the extradition measure. But she did not withdraw the bill. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
A protest near police headquarters on June 21. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
A democracy rally on June 26. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
July
July 1 marked the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China.
The date has been one of protest for more than a decade, but this display of dissent culminated in one of the more remarkable moments of the summer: Demonstrators smashed their way into the legislature, painting slogans on walls and defacing symbols of Chinese authority.
Two weeks later, the police and protesters clashed in a mall in a satellite town. Then on July 21, hours after protesters vandalised the Chinese government's liaison office in the city, a mob attacked a group of protesters in a train station. The appearance of police inaction on that night has fueled widespread criticism of the Hong Kong force.
On July 1, protesters clashed with riot police officers before a ceremony commemorating the territory's handover from Britain to China. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
That day was a turning point for the movement, with protesters storming the legislature. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Some of the protesters occupied the legislature after storming the building, vandalising the interior, and setting off divisions within the movement. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Riot police officers fired tear gas outside the Legislature early on July 2. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Protesters clashing with police officers in riot gear in the Sha Tin area of Hong Kong on July 14. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Officers inside a shopping mall in Sha Tin on July 14. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
The police making arrests in Sha Tin on July 14. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Some protesters became targets when government supporters attacked them at a train station on July 21. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
The police fired tear gas during a clash with protesters at Yuen Long on July 27. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
The authorities declared that protesters marching in Yuen Long that day were a threat to public security. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
August
Three days of civil disobedience culminated in a call for a general strike on Aug. 5 — perhaps the biggest day of unrest this summer. Trains were blocked and hundreds of flights were canceled after thousands of civil aviation employees stayed home.
At several locations across the city, police officers fired tear gas during protests.
A week later, protesters returned to the airport, where days of sit-ins led to the cancellation of hundreds more flights.
Protesters assaulted two men from mainland China, and when the violence was broadcast by the local news media, it prompted soul searching and apologies. It was followed by nearly two weeks of relative calm, though protests did continue, including a human chain across much of the city.
In Shenzhen, a mainland city near Hong Kong, paramilitary police officers drilled in a show of force. Last weekend, clashes began anew, with two days of tear gas. On Sunday, a police officer fired the first gunshot, a warning after a colleague fell as a group of protesters charged them with sticks and metal bars.
Another march is planned for the end of the month. For now, the cycle of protest appears set to continue.
Thousands of civil servants attended a rally in Hong Kong on August 2 in support of protesters. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
The police also fired tear gas during clashes with protesters in the Sai Wan district on August 4. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Protesters delaying service at the Tai Wai train station on August 5. On various occasions protesters blocked the doors of subway cars. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
By early August, the police had fired an estimated 1,800 tear gas canisters, including what were said to be hundreds on one day alone in Wong Tai Sin. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Protesters filled the Hong Kong airport, one of the world's busiest transportation hubs, on August 12. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Protesters and the police clashed at the airport on August 13. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Armored vehicles massed on August 16 at Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre, in mainland China across the border from Hong Kong. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Much of the protest was driven by the young. This August 22 rally in the Central neighbourhood was attended by secondary school students. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
There were more clashes on Saturday. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
A confrontation in Kwun Tong after an authorised march on Saturday. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Police officers firing tear gas at protesters in the Tsuen Wan district on Sunday. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Police officers aimed guns at protesters in Tsuen Wan on Sunday. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
Protesters in Tsuen Wan on Sunday. Photo / Lam Yik Fei, The New York Times
