Hong Kong protests enter 11th consecutive weekend

After tens of thousands of people gathered in Victoria Park on Sunday, central Hong Kong is occupied and closed to traffic once again as thousands march westward through the city's streets.

Where are protesters now? Small crowds are gathering outside the Legislative Council building but most are plodding on home in the rain.

Harcourt Road, a key thoroughfare which passes Hong Kong’s legislature, has previously been the site of multiple clashes with police since the anti-government, pro-democracy protests began in June. Protesters have unfurled a banner from the walkway reading "We want democracy."

Streams of protesters continue to head west and are pushing on into Central district.

Will protesters stay out? While most appear to be headed home, small groups of mostly younger protesters wearing masks are staying on the streets, camping out under limited cover.

What are protesters saying? On Harcourt Road outside the legislative council, Elfa, 22, says she thinks the protest “should stay peaceful” if police stay behind their barricades and tolerate the marchers. She points out that the occupation here is partly a result of police denying the march permission and therefore there was no fixed route. She and her friends plan to stay here despite the non-stop rain. “Tear gas won’t work in the rain,” she points out.

Where are the police? Police presence has been minimal all over the march’s route, which was not authorized by authorities. Given police have cleared Harcourt Road several times before, if there are clashes tonight this is likely where they will take place. 

Today’s march was characterised as a means of reclaiming people’s trust and support after ugly scenes at the airport on Tuesday night when large groups of protesters blocked passengers from their flights and attacked two men they accused of being undercover police officers.

The episode shocked many and lead to inevitable questions as to whether the movement was on the verge of losing popular support.

The answer, apparently, is no ... at least not yet.

Despite heavy rain, tens of thousands of people including the young, families, and the elderly, packed out Victoria Park, Sunday.

Three hours after the start of the rally, the park is still full with people under a sea of umbrellas. Thousands of protesters, meanwhile, have spilled onto surrounding roads that are now heavily congested.

Many protesters say they are not hopeful their demands -- which include the formal withdrawal of a now suspended extradition bill, an independent inquiry into police misconduct and wider democratic reforms -- will be met.

But they are also adamant that they will keep fighting -- and Sunday's rally shows that despite the violence, despite the missteps, and the weather, it's a feeling that many in this city still very much support.

Today's march is all about peace -- but tensions have been high for weeks in Hong Kong, with some people speculating that China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) may be deployed as violence escalates.

PLA deployment would have lasting ramifications for the city's economy, reputation and diplomatic ties. Here's what a crackdown would likely mean:

Read more about it here.

As the torrential rain continues, hundreds of people are gathering under awnings, store entrances and ledges.

Three longtime residents said they tried to join the protests but could not get to Victoria Park due to the size of the crowd, so they chose instead to shelter from the rain and grab a glass of white wine en route.

They declined to give their names but described watching tens of thousands of protesters stream past as they sipped wine as “surreal."

“Only in Hong Kong could this happen," they said.

Others, like Louis, 43, who works in the IT industry, said there was no reason not to come out today.

Louis said of recent violence at the airport, where protesters detained and beat two men they accused of being undercover police officers, that "protesters come from a very wide spectrum of citizens and they make mistakes."

Pro-democracy protests have traditionally attracted a broad cross-section of Hong Kong society. Many people have stressed that it is possible to be both supportive of the current protest movement and against the actions of a violent minority.

The view from Victoria Park: Protesters have occupied the ramp onto Gloucester highway, one of biggest thoroughfares in Hong Kong.

The crowd is heading to the city's main downtown area, Central, despite calls from the rally's organizers to take the subway home.

Many more people are continuing to stream into the park, which remains packed.

The atmosphere is calm, friendly, and there are still people of all ages out with many taking photos.

Outside the park, a small group of protesters have started to take down railings in an apparent attempt to build barricades, as has happened at previous protests.

The view from Admiralty: Protesters that have marched out of Victoria Park are moving steadily through Wan Chai and heading to Admiralty, the financial center of the city. The crowd is large, despite the continued downpours, but nowhere near the size of June's record breaking demonstrations.

Some protesters are also marching from the direction of Central and walking toward Wan Chai -- meaning one group is now heading west, and one smaller group is heading east.

The past two months have seen countless clashes between protesters and riot police, with escalating violence from both sides.

Since June 9, the police have used more than 160 rubber bullets, 150 sponge bullets, and fired 1,000 rounds of tear gas, according to police spokespeople.

These figures were listed last week, and have gone up since then -- police and protesters have clashed again, and tear gas has been fired.

In addition to liberal use of tear gas, the police purchased three French-made riot control vehicles equipped with water cannons last year, which have yet to be used in the clashes.

Meanwhile, protesters have taken to throwing bricks and unknown liquids at police, shining laser pointers into officers' eyes, and throwing back tear gas canisters. They've also set several fires near police stations and during face-offs, and armed themselves with steel bars and bamboo poles.

Everyone should be equal under the law, Howard, a 39-year-old actor said on Sunday. Howard, who is taking part in today's protest at Victoria Park said of the recent violence between police and protesters that the law should decide.

"We cannot justify whether that citizen is breaking the law or not. If he is breaking the law then he has liability to face justice, but at same time we are asking for those in the police who break the law (to face justice as well)."

Howard said that he is protesting against perceived police violence, police posing as protesters, and mob attacks from organized criminal gangs.

"We want the government to listen to us, withdraw the extradition bill and also have an independent panel investigating police abuse and those officers should be stood down," he said.

"All these two months we have gone through a lot but we should not lose hope and we should keep fighting."

Have police overstepped the mark? Allegations of police brutality have fueled increasingly violent protests in the streets of Hong Kong, prompting law enforcement to fire tear gas on an almost daily basis. The appearance of police disguised as protesters have also triggered further outrage and paranoia among some of the protesters. 

Officers have defended their use of force in response to what they characterized as violent, criminal behavior, and rejected calls for an independent investigation into their handling of the situation.

Hong Kong has been protesting for more than two months now. With the unrest showing no sign of stopping any time soon, is it still safe to visit Hong Kong?

If you're traveling to Hong Kong, here's what you need to know:

Read more FAQ here.

Tens of thousands of people have gathered in Hong Kong's Victoria Park, despite heavy rain, for the 11th consecutive weekend of anti-government protests. It's the the first major demonstration following ugly scenes at the city's airport earlier this week.

Here's the rundown: