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Hong Kong protests: Six months of rage and desperation

Getty Images Protesters attend a rally against a controversial extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on 9 June 2019Getty Images

On 9 June 2019, a massive protest took place in Hong Kong - a show of anger at planned changes to the territory's extradition laws.

The Extradition Law Amendment Bill (ELAB) would have cleared the way for criminal suspects to be sent abroad for trial, even to places with which Hong Kong does not have an extradition treaty.

The alarm was that this would mean people could be sent to mainland China for trial. Protesters said this would risk them having an unfair trial, and make it too easy for China to come after political opponents in Hong Kong.

Six months on, the bill has been dropped but the anger has grown, and is now focused on the government and allegations of police abuses.

Here are some of the most striking pictures from the past six months of Hong Kong protest and rage.

STR Overhead view shows thousands of protesters marching through the street as they take part in a new rally against a controversial extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on 16 June 2019STR
After the first mass protests, Hong Kong's government said they would suspend the bill - but that was not enough for its opponents. On 16 June, an estimated two million turned out to demand it be dropped altogether.
Getty Images A protester defaces the Hong Kong emblem after protesters broke into the government headquarters in Hong Kong on 1 July 2019, on the 22nd anniversary of the city's handover from Britain to ChinaGetty Images
On 1 July, in one of the most dramatic moments of the protests, hundreds of people smashed their way into Hong Kong's government headquarters. They occupied the building overnight, defacing the city emblem and sprayed slogans on the walls.
AFP Protester throwing a tear gas can back at the policeAFP
Over the months of protest, a so-called hardcore group of protesters emerged. Dressed in all black and careful to hide their identities, they would face off with police after peaceful protests - creating a cycle of violence.
Getty Images A riot police officer pushes journalist away using his baton.Getty Images
As police started using more severe anti-crowd measures against protesters the relationship between them deteriorated. Some in Hong Kong now allege police brutality and want an independent investigation into the force.
Reuters Men in white T-shirts with poles are seen in Yuen Long after attacked anti-extradition bill demonstrators at a train station, in Hong Kong, China July 22, 2019.Reuters
One of the key moments of the protest was in Yuen Long, where men wearing white shirts believed to be triad gang members attacked commuters. Police were late to the arrive the scene sparking allegations they deliberately stayed away.
AFP police use water cannonAFP
In early September, police started using a new tactic - spraying indelible blue dye over the protesters, meaning those who ran away could be identified later. Thousands of people have been arrested in these six months.
Reuters Anti-government protesters hold Pepe the Frog plush toys as they make a human chain in the harbour area in Hong Kong, China, September 30, 2019.Reuters
On 30 September protesters formed a human chain that went across Hong Kong, a reference to the Baltic Way democracy protest that formed a human chain across Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.
Getty Images People gather at an anti-government rally inside a shopping mall at the Sha Tin district of Hong Kong on 22 September 2019Getty Images
The protests have reached almost every corner of Hong Kong and caused significant disruption. This was one peaceful protests inside a shopping mall in Sha Tin, away from the main commercial centre.
Getty Images A woman walks past a wall in Hong Kong covered with sticky note messagesGetty Images
'Lennon Walls' have become a feature of a city wracked by protest - underpasses and bridges have been plastered with messages of support, anger and solidarity. But they've sometimes become the scene of clashes themselves.
Getty Images A woman waves a British Union Jack flag during a protest near the government headquarters in Hong Kong on June 21, 2019Getty Images
This woman, significantly older than most of the protesters, was a regular fixture at many of the gatherings. Waving the UK's flag, she became known as Grandma Wong, and told reporters she was worried about the future but also missed the colonial times. She has not been seen at the protests for some time.
Getty Images An ambulance is pictured surrounded by thousands of protesters dressed in black during a new rally against a controversial extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on 16 June 2019Getty Images
One of the protesters' demands is that the governments stops categorising any of the protests as riots. They have pointed to images like this - crowds clearing out of the way of an ambulance - as proof they are organised and civic-minded.
Getty Images An aerial view shows the main entrance (top R) to the campus and debris leftover from protesters who barricaded themselves inside, at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in the Hung Hom district in Hong Kong on 22 November 2019.Getty Images
How young some of the protesters are came into sharp focus when the Hong Kong Polytechnic University became the scene of a dramatic siege. Protesters barricaded themselves inside for days and fired petrol bombs and arrows at police. In the end secondary school principals went into convince some of their students to leave.
Getty Images HONG KONG, CHINA - NOVEMBER 18: Police arrest anti-government protesters at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 18, 2019 in Hong Kong, China. Anti-government protesters armed with bricks, firebombs, and bows and arrows fought with the police at university campuses over the weekend as demonstrations in Hong Kong stretched into its sixth month with demands for an independent inquiry into police brutality, the retraction of the word "riot" to describe the rallies, and genuine universal suffrage. (Photo by Laurel Chor/Getty Images)Getty Images
The scenes coming out of Hong Kong has led many to question why these protesters are willing to risk their life and freedom. Many of them believe their future is at stake.
Getty Images HONG KONG, CHINA - NOVEMBER 18: Protesters use bricks to barricade near Hong Kong Polytechnic University in the Tsim Sha Tsui district on 18 November 2019 in Hong KongGetty Images
And the past six months have shown the extent they will go to to preserve their unique Hong Kong identity and freedoms.

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