Hundreds of thousands protest in Hong Kong for democracy

Published: 2004-07-01

HONG KONG (CNS) -- Hundreds of thousands of people urged greater democracy for Hong Kong on the seventh anniversary of the island's reversion to Chinese rule. Organizers estimated that some 530,000 people participated in the July 1 protest, where they demanded the right to directly elect their government, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. Before the protest, Christians held a prayer rally, as has been the custom at the annual event. The protests came after Beijing's rejection of an open election for Hong Kong's chief executive in 2007 and legislature in 2008. Before the protest, Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong told a Victoria Park prayer rally that Christians want to tell the central Chinese government about the "sufferings" people have experienced in Hong Kong and their demand for justice.

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