As of 2 January 2020, multiple protests are scheduled to take place in Hong Kong between 3 and 5 January. Between 1900 and 2100 local time on 3 January, a rally organized by the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union is planned for Edinburgh Place in Central. Additionally, beginning at 1500 local time on 5 January, a march from Sheung Shui Garden No. 1 to Exit C of Sheung Shui MTR Station is set to protest against parallel trading activities. Authorities issued a letter of no objection for the request for demonstrations on 3 January, while a request for the march on 5 January is still pending.
Meanwhile, on 1 January hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered in Hong Kong for a planned march from Victoria Park in Causeway Bay to Chater Road in Central. Clashes between riot police officers and protesters broke out a short time later, after a group of demonstrators vandalized the HSBC bank branch on Hennessy Road in Wan Chai. By 1730 local time, the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) — which organized the rally — had declared an end to the march due to a police order; however, the rally continued into the evening in Causeway Bay, Central and Wan Chai. Clashes continued throughout the night as demonstrators erected barricades and set fires, while riot police deployed tear gas, water cannons and pepper spray to disperse them. A number of businesses were vandalized, including at least five HSBC bank branches and a Starbucks branch, which was hit by a Molotov cocktail. Officers arrested at least 400 people over the course of the day. According to the CHRF, as many as 1 million people participated in the demonstration, while police estimated a peak turnout of 60,000 attendees.
