This segment of the timeline of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests covers the month of July 2019. The anniversary of the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China on 1 July saw large daytime protests. In the evening of that day, protesters stormed the Legislative Council Building and defaced symbols, with police only moving in after midnight. This incident, which was sharply condemned by the government of Carrie Lam, did however not lead to a split between peaceful and violent protesters. Observers linked the understanding of the non-violent protesters for the violent wing to the lack of willingness of the Lam government to engage in dialogue about the protesters' five demands. Apart from major protests on Sundays, there were also mostly peaceful demonstrations during the week.
A pattern became established such that peaceful daytime protests were followed by violent clashes between protesters and police at night. Police continued to draw criticism for its heavy-handed tactics.
A further landmark event in the evolution of the protests was the Yuen Long attack on 21 July. White-shirted gangs descended on Yuen Long station and wrought havoc in chaotic scenes, with a vast number of calls of citizens to police being unanswered until the attackers had retreated. This led to a further loss of faith of protesters and their sympathisers in the integrity of the police force, and also further worsened their views of the Hong Kong government. The government and representatives of the force would change their framing of the attack several times over the course of the following year.
Events
1 July protests
As the city marked the 22nd anniversary of its 1997 handover to China, the annual pro-democracy protest march organised by CHRF claimed a record turnout of 550,000 while police placed the estimate around 190,000; independent organisations using scientific methods calculated that participation was in the region of 250,000 people.
Early in the morning, Devil's Peak saw a white vertical protest banner with words roughly translated into "Mourning in Pain" (「痛心疾首」).
Later in the morning, the annual flag-raising ceremony outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre was disrupted by some 200 protesters who had followed online calls. They hurled eggs, water bottles and other objects at police; some shined laser pointers at them or hit them with umbrellas.
Before the march, youths had begun besieging the Legislative Council building. The march was later diverted to Chater Road in Central due to the people amassed in front of the Legislative Council.
At around 9:00pm, hundreds of protesters stormed the legislature after breaking through the glass walls and metal doors of the building. Protesters caused extensive damage by ransacking the premises, damaging portraits of former pro-Beijing presidents of the Legislative Council, and smashing furniture. Protesters spray-painted slogans, hung up signs and erected barricades. During the occupation, 25-year-old student Brian Leung Kai-ping presented a new 10-point manifesto calling for greater freedom and democracy, and increased autonomy from Beijing.
The police started using tear gas to disperse protesters around the LegCo at 12:05am, and reached the building 15 minutes later.
Carrie Lam's passive behavior in the preceding weeks and a "lack of positive response to the public", as put by Fernando Cheung, on the part of the government were cited as reasons for the occupation and the acts of property damage; the deaths from suicide also sparked anger and desperation among the protesters. During Carrie Lam's press conference at 4:00am the following day, she acknowledged the peaceful and orderly march but strongly condemned the "violence and vandalism in the storming of the Legislative Council building". Lam evaded questions regarding recent deaths. The Hong Kong Journalists Association criticised the government for omitting the unanswered questions from the official transcript, while the Information Services Department responded that the transcript released was not a "verbatim".
After the protest, demonstrators and legislators condemned the Hong Kong police for deliberately allowing protesters to ram the glass doors and windows of the LegCo in front of cameras and television crews for hours, without any arrests or clearance. The police explained that their decision to retreat was after "considering a number of factors." By early 5 July, there had been at least 66 arrests and first formal charges laid in connection with the incident. On 13 April 2023, four defendants were sentenced for rioting at the flag-raising ceremony to between 26 and 28 months in prison. Of a group of four men who had been charged with rioting, two were sentenced to jail terms of three years, and two others to a training centre for a minimum of six months. The jail terms included a reduction by three months for the long delay, over two years of which were due to legal advice given by the Department of Justice to the prosecution.
5 July mothers' sit-in
On Friday evening, a second mother's rally occurred at Chater Garden in Central. According to organisers, about 8,000 were in attendance, while police cited 1,300 in attendance. The gathering of mothers and allies shared solidarity with young protesters and condemned the government for being indifferent to Hong Kong people's demands.
6 July Reclaim Tuen Mun Park
On 6 July, people marched in a protest organised by the Tuen Mun Park Sanitation Concern Group. The protest aimed at condemning mainland Chinese middle-aged women singers and dancers, also known by the nickname "dai ma" (大媽), which literally translates to "big mothers," and the elderly men who gave these women "donations" for the noise disturbance and annoyances they have caused in Tuen Mun Park. Conflicts between the police and the protesters brew as the police escorted a person who allegedly assaulted the marchers away while using pepper spray on the protesters. The organiser claimed that nearly 10,000 people attended the protest.
7 July Tsim Sha Tsui march
Daytime rally
The first anti-extradition bill protest in the Kowloon side of Hong Kong was held on 7 July in Tsim Sha Tsui. Before the march, organisers had promised that it would be a peaceful rally.
The rally started from Salisbury Garden at 3:30 pm, heading to the West Kowloon MTR station. The march ended at around 7 pm. The march was then officially called to an end at 7:30 pm. The organisers claimed more than 230,000 attended the march, while police estimated around 56,000 only.
Protesters marched along Nathan Road and Canton Road, which mainland tourists frequent because of the presence of a long string of luxury stores. The protest was aimed at giving a good impression to these visitors, hoping to raise their awareness of the issues and support for their cause. Hard copy booklets about the extradition bill in Simplified Chinese were distributed to mainland tourists, to bypass mainland web censorship. About 200 protestors assembled near the ferry terminal by the China Hong Kong City Centre, chanting in Mandarin and urging the shoppers to join the demonstration.
As a precaution, water barricades had been also set up by the police, with checkpoints to confirm the passengers' identities; the MTR Corporation had stopped selling tickets for journeys during noon-time. Protesters and residents condemned the action, complaining it unnecessary and unreasonable. This was the largest protest in Hong Kong solely mobilised by netizens and in Kowloon area to date.
Night-time clashes After the end of the march at 7:30 pm, around 300 protesters left the West Kowloon station and headed to Canton Road again. They proceeded up Nathan Road and arrived at Mong Kok to find police amassed on Shantung Street, where there was a stand-off for around 20 minutes. Riot police, most of them refusing to exhibit an identification number or warrant card arrived, assaulting protestors and journalists alike. By the end of the night, at least six arrests were made. The following day, lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting requested an independent investigation of police conduct, called for a review of video that may show the use of excessive force, and stated that failure to have warrant cards visibly displayed may be a violation of the law.
10 July subsequent protests
On 10 July, two rival protests were held outside Wan Chai Police Headquarters. Around a dozen protesters from the pro-democracy Labour Party called on the police to launch a criminal investigation. The protesters presented as evidence five pieces of video footage purportedly showing officers assaulting demonstrators even after they had been pinned down. However, they were referred to the force's internal investigation unit – the Complaints Against Police Office. Around a dozen protesters from the pro-establishment Anti-black money, anti-Hong Kong independence concern group filed a police report claiming that pro-democracy lawmakers: Jeremy Tam, Au Nok-hin and Roy Kwong were involved in the violent night clashes.
10 July Yau Tong's Lennon Wall tension
On 10 July, a few youngsters constructed a makeshift Lennon Wall on a pillar outside the Yau Tong MTR exit. They were soon surrounded and intimidated by tens of mostly middle-aged pro-government residents who were suspected of being off-duty policemen from nearby Yau Mei Court, which contains a "disciplined staff quarters" for police.
The crowds built up at night, growing into the hundreds. Numerous scuffles then broke out between a hundred pro-government residents and a much larger crowd protecting the youngsters. Hundreds of police arrived and formed a defence line on the staircase leading from the MTR exit. They were accused of not stopping the violence of the pro-government residents against the youngsters. The conflict persisted for hours and did not subside until 1 a.m. on 11 July. At least three arrests were made, including two retired police officers for common assault.
13 July Reclaim Sheung Shui
On 13 July, a protest was organised in Sheung Shui for opposing mainland Chinese parallel trading, with 30,000 attendees claimed by the organiser. It was largely peaceful for the first two hours.
However, as it went on, the organiser and protesters refused to follow the authorised route, which had Sheung Shui station as the destination. Instead, they marched on Sheung Shui Plaza, occupied some roads and started clashing with the police who accused them of unlawful assembly, triggering an hours-long standoff which lasted until late night. Hong Kong press watchdogs later complained about police having jostled a handful of journalists.
During the skirmishes, a number of dispensaries were vandalised by the protesters because they were thought to be complicit in the mainland Chinese parallel trading. After the riot police resumed traffic by dispersing the crowd, they chased the crowd onto a footbridge leading to Sheung Shui station, when a young man suddenly attempted to jump off the footbridge for escape, but was hindered by police from jumping. He was arrested on suspicion of illegal assembly. Legislator Andrew Wan was also hit by a police baton.
14 July Journalists' silent march
On 14 July, at 10:30 am, journalists and others in the media industry held a silent march from Harcourt Garden in Admiralty to Police Headquarters in Wan Chai; then on to the Chief Executive Office to protest against police attacks on the press. Journalists at the front of the march held a large banner that read "Stop Police Violence, Defend Press Freedom." They called on the Chief Executive to defend press freedom and enforce the Pledge to Uphold Press Freedom decree, which she signed in 2017.