HK police reject labour group's request for May 1 march

HONG KONG • Hong Kong police have rejected an application by a pro-democracy labour group to hold a march on May 1, citing concerns about public health and security risks, the government said in a statement.

The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions had proposed to hold the march in groups of four, spaced at least 1.5m apart.

It expressed concern in a Facebook post that the police were using laws against gatherings to suppress freedom of expression and called for a detailed explanation.

"We will appeal and are in talks with lawyers," confederation chairman Carol Ng said in a video on its Facebook page.

"We understand the need to balance public health and to continue with anti-gathering measures" and will ensure those taking part wear masks and take steps to protect themselves, she said.

Police regard public meetings and processions as "high-risk activities with crowd gatherings", according to the statement on Friday, citing the increased risk of spreading coronavirus among participants and concerns about public safety.

Pro-democracy activists staged a rally at a mall in Central at lunchtime on Friday in defiance of the ban on gatherings of more than four people. About 100 people gathered at the International Finance Centre in one of the largest protests since the pandemic began earlier this year.

Police recently arrested 15 pro-democracy activists and a lawmaker in connection with an unauthorised assembly last year.

This came after China's Liaison Office, Beijing's representative in Hong Kong, asserted its right to intervene in the city's affairs.

BLOOMBERG