Hong Kong extradition law: Young and old take to the streets to beg police to put down their weapons

The five demands are:

• A full withdrawal of the bill
• Universal suffrage
• A retraction of the riot label attached to recent anti-bill protests
• Amnesty for protesters arrested
• An investigation into allegations of excessive use of force by police

Speaking to media yesterday, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Yuet-ngor said the protest was causing chaos and severely hurting the city financially. She did not give any concessions and called for the violence to end.

Several civil action movements are happening around the city today, and we will be keeping you up to date with those.

For today's action follow us here:

[Updated: 10 August 10:30 am]

Elderly Hongkongers gathered outside police headquarters in Wan Chai today for a "Ten Thousand Years' Wisdom" appeal for police to put down their weapons. The rally was organised by the "Silver Hair " group, made up of pensioners who want to prove that it is not just young people who are against the extradition bill. Today's march started at 9am at Hong Kong Police Headquarters.

[Updated: 10 August noon]

Just before 11am, a few hundred people gathered at Edingbrugh Place in Central for the "Guard our Children's Future" Families Rally. Participants draw their views and requests on banners. 

Before the "Ten Thousand Years' Wisdom" march ended, retired secondary school teacher Mr Tam said he hoped the police would remember the oath they took: "...without fear of or favour to any person and with malice or ill-will toward none, and that I will obey without question all lawful orders of those set in authority over me." He also hoped that Hong Kong's police force could become the best police force in Asia once again. 

A row has broken out between China and the US after the pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao on Thursday published a photo of opposition activists meeting in a hotel with Julie Eadeh, a political section chief in the US Consulate in Hong Kong, along with details about Eadeh’s State Department career and the names of her husband and teenage children.

The report, which was recirculated by Chinese state media, emerged as Beijing once again tried to say the nine-week-long protests are a US spy plot to spark a “color revolution” to destabilise China. The publication drew a furious response from the US State Department, which accused China of “thuggish” behavior. US envoys around the world often meet with opposition figures and groups, occasionally drawing rebukes from governments.

While the number of protesters at the airport this morning have dwindled this 16-year-old protester who was there yesterday told Young Post, "We are so angry. Carrie Lam hasn't responded to any of our requests. She keeps repeating herself and condemns the protester." She added that police, who are supposed to protect society, are not upholding their duties. She said she would be at the airport today and tomorrow too.

Also, Beijing has banned Cathay Pacific staff who support the protests from working on flights to the mainland or routed through mainland air space. Beijing also ordered Hong Kong's air carrier to hand over information on staff on mainland-bound flights, reports Agence France-Presse. Cathay Pacific seems to have beome a target after some of its crew joined protests and one of its pilots was charged with rioting. In return, Cathay Pacific has seen a fierce online backlash. 

A #BoycottCathayPacific thread on Chinese social media platforms has attracted more than 17 million views and 8,000 comments, partly fuelled by articles from the powerful state-run press. Pro-democracy protesters have staged two months of increasingly violent protests in the financial hub, which Beijing has viewed as a challenge to its central rule. Cathay Pacific chairman John Slosar on Wednesday defended his workforce and freedom of thought.

[Updated: 10 August 1pm]

The littlies get enchanting with the help of their parents before the marsh starts from Edinbrugh Place. "Add oil, Hongkongers," they shout.

The elderly reached Carrie Lam's office but no one came to hear their plea. They had to stick their letter on to one of the big water barriers that surround the office. Oganiser Tam Kwok-sun, 64, said barriers just go to show how afraid Lam and the government are. The protesters also prepared garlic, raw meat and spring onions to drive home their point. The spring onion is a special reference to Hong Kong Police Chief. Stephen Lo Wai-Chung. The raw meat symbolises fabricating evidence, and the garlic is there to stink out any evil.

Meanwhile, bringing the shock and 'daaaaaaawwwwwwwww' factor was baby Cheng, with a hard hat and goggles, just in case!

[Updated: 10 August 1:30 pm]

Local student group, Students' Connect put out a statement on Telegraph

Meanwhile, the organisers of today's march in Tai Po said they were angry and disappointed at the police for not giving permission for the march after they had gone through several changes to the route and conditions and had reached an agreement with the police. "The HKPF’s subsequent issuing of a Letter of Objection on this basis, and its statement that participating in negotiations is not the same as making a promise, is a demonstration of the police’s complete lack of integrity in regards to their relationship with citizens. Citizens showed their willingness to cooperate in good faith, only to be met with an obfuscatory response. The trust between the police and citizens is broken," they said."

"The Committee has spoken with residents of the district, silver-haired protesters, mothers, young people – people of different class backgrounds and ages – who expressed their hope that they would be ‘heard beyond the Lennon Tunnel’ and that their five demands would be heard. Now, the people of Tai Po have no way of making their voices heard." The committee thanked the police PR branch staff for trying to mediate.

A group called "SafeguardHK," asked citizens to join a police appreciation day, to show their support for the force. They asked people to wear blue and write cards of support to the police. They also asked people to take photos with officers and upload them to social media platforms, with the Chinese hashtags SupportPolice and SafeguardHK. They garnered more than 100 photogs on Instagram as far as we could verify. The SafeguardHK hashtag has been used by protest groups too.

A group calling itself Student Connect is asking secondary students to sigh a petition to support the five demands of the protest. "Although we have not yet reached the age of majority, our guilelessness is what gives us the faith that our voice could be heard. We have faith for our future, and are willing to work towards this future." They told Young Post that so far they have around 1,000 signatures, which they are verifying by asking students to show their student cards with traces of identification blanked out.

[Updated: 10 August 4:11 pm]

Despite the police ban, protesters have gone to Tai Po. Wary police formed security barriers around stations. 

Reuters reports that British foreign minister Dominic Raab called Carrie Lam yesterday. During their talk he condemned the recent violence but emphasised the right to peaceful protest. “The Foreign Secretary emphasised the need to find a way forward through meaningful political dialogue, and a fully independent investigation into recent events as a way to build trust,” the Foreign Office in London said in a statement.

At a footbridge outside Hung Hom station...

“A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely & gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another”

The march in Wong Tai Sin remains cancelled and the poilice appreciation day is in full erm.. force?

It's time for Young Post to sign off and hand you on to scmp.com for the latest updates on the protests. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3022199/hong-kong-protests-all-you-need-know-about-rallies-city