Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Protests returned to Hong Kong streets following the suspension of the extradition bill

Nearly two million people have taken part in a mass protest in Hong Kong against a controversial extradition bill, organisers say.

If confirmed, it would be the largest protest in Hong Kong's history. Police said turnout was 338,000 at its peak.

The masses turned out despite the suspension of the bill - which would allow extradition from Hong Kong to mainland China - on Saturday.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Sunday apologised for proposing the bill.

Many protesters, who fear increased Chinese influence over Hong Kong, are calling on her to resign over the unrest.

They are also demanding that the bill be scrapped, not just suspended.

Meanwhile, supporters of Joshua Wong - the student leader who became the face of Hong Kong's "Umbrella Movement" democracy protests five years ago - say he will be released from prison later on Monday.

What happened at the protest?

"Today's march we had almost two million people," Jimmy Sham, from the Civil Human Rights Front protest group, told reporters late on Sunday evening.

The protest was mainly peaceful, with police officers reportedly holding back to allow the throngs of people to slowly pass through the city. This contrasted to scenes at the last previous major demonstration on Wednesday, which saw clashes between protesters and police that injured dozens.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Protesters have been demanding Carrie Lam's resignation

The demonstration began early in the afternoon in Victoria Square, with many wearing black.

Many held white flowers to mourn a protester who fell to his death on Saturday from a ledge, where hours earlier he had unfurled an anti-extradition banner.

The progress of the march was slow, as the large numbers of people blocked many streets and crowded train stations.

As darkness fell, protesters started to take over major roads and crossings and surrounded the legislative council building.

They carried placards that read "The students did not riot", in response to police labelling last Wednesday's student protests a riot - an offence punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Timelapse footage shows the scale of Hong Kong protests on Sunday

There was scepticism among some protesters about Ms Lam's decision to suspend the bill.

"Carrie Lam has ignored the feelings of Hong Kongers," Mr Ma, a 67-year-old protester, told the BBC. He said Ms Lam had "acted like it was no big deal" after a reported million people marched last week.

"Secondly, we are marching for the students who were brutally treated by the police. We need to get justice for them."

Chloe Yim, 20, who had joined the protests for the first time, said: "If Carrie sees so many people come out, and still doesn't listen - she's being an autocrat who doesn't listen to people. Hong Kong people can't accept that."

'Too little too late'

Analysis by Helier Cheung, BBC News, Hong Kong

The government had hoped to reduce public anger by announcing a pause in the legislation on Saturday.

That has patently failed, as even bigger numbers - close to two million, according to the organisers, took to the streets.

For the chief executive, the demonstrations will have taken on a particularly personal bent, as protesters chanted "Carrie Lam - resign!" throughout during the day.

The government is now trying to strike a conciliatory tone - in a statement, it said it understood the protesters' views "have been made out of love and care for Hong Kong". It promised the chief executive would adopt a more "sincere and humble attitude" towards public criticism.

But this is too little, too late for many protesters, who insist they won't settle for anything less than the bill being completely withdrawn.

The scenes are reminiscent of 2003 - when half a million people protested against proposed national security legislation. The unpopular chief executive at the time, Tung Chee-hwa, resigned months later.

But even if Ms Lam resigns, there's no guarantee that protesters will be satisfied with whoever replaces her - especially as, under Hong Kong's political system, the leader is elected by a small panel filled with allies of the Beijing government.

What is the controversy about?

Hong Kong is a former British colony, but was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal that guarantees it a level of autonomy.

The government had argued the proposed extradition bill would "plug the loopholes" so that the city would not be a safe haven for criminals, following a murder case in Taiwan.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Helier Cheung on why people are taking to the streets in Hong Kong

Critics have said the legislation would expose people in Hong Kong to China's deeply flawed justice system and lead to further erosion of the city's judicial independence.

Many fear the law could be used to target political opponents of the Chinese state. A large-scale march, which organisers said drew more than one million people, was held last Sunday.

On Wednesday tens of thousands gathered to blockade streets around government headquarters to try to stop the second reading, or debate, of the extradition bill.

There were clashes and 22 police and 60 protesters were injured. Authorities say 11 people were arrested. The police have been accused by some rights groups of excessive force.

Why the anger at Carrie Lam?

Much of the public anger has been directed at Ms Lam, the region's elected chief executive - who is firmly supported by Beijing.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption How Hong Kong demonstrators organised protests this week

Part of that anger comes from a tearful address after Wednesday's violence in which she labelled the protests "organised riots" – a label rejected by the hundreds of thousands of peaceful protesters.

Ms Lam remained hidden from public view for days, until her announcement on Saturday the she had heard the calls for her government to "pause and think". But she stopped short of saying the bill would be permanently shelved.

On Sunday, she followed this up with a statement apologising for "her government's work that has led to substantial controversies and disputes in society, causing disappointment and grief among the people".

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Carrie Lam expressed 'deep sorrow' over extradition law controversy

There has been speculation among analysts about Ms Lam's future amid the continued protests, but China's foreign ministry publicly backed her on Saturday.

Is Hong Kong part of China?

Hong Kong was a British colony from 1841, when China ceded the island to the British after the First Opium War - which had erupted over British traders smuggling opium into China. It remained a colony until sovereignty was returned to China in 1997.

It is now part of China under a "one country, two systems" principle, which ensures that it keeps its own judicial independence, its own legislature and economic system.

It is what China calls a special administrative region - enjoying a great deal of autonomy that has made it a key business and media hub in the region.

But it remains subject to pressure from mainland China, and Beijing remains responsible for defence and foreign affairs. </s> HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on protests in Hong Kong against an extradition bill (all times local):

Hong Kong's police commissioner says only people who committed violence will be charged with rioting during clashes between police and protesters outside the legislature on Wednesday, in an apparent attempt to defuse widespread public anger over aggressive police tactics.

Stephen Lo Wai-chung on Monday defended the police response to the protests by tens of thousands of people as appropriate. It included the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and steel batons against protesters who removed barriers. He described the fracas as a riot, but said only five of 15 arrested people were accused of rioting, a serious charge that can result in a prison term of up to 10 years.

Another 17 people were arrested in the vicinity on lesser charges.

Protesters in Hong Kong have gathered outside the office of the city's leader, demanding that she resign for her handling of an unpopular extradition bill.

The mostly young demonstrators blocked a street Monday near the city's waterfront as they stood outside the office of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, chanting calls for her to give up the proposed legislation.

Lam has apologized for the crisis and suspended work on the bill, which would allow suspects to face trial in mainland Chinese courts.

Protesters are demanding that she scrap the bill and that authorities apologize for how police quelled an earlier demonstration, using tear gas, rubber bullets and other forceful means. They also want the government not to prosecute those involved, and to withdraw Lam's designation of the protest as a "riot."

A member of Hong Kong's Executive Council has said the city's leader plans to apologize again over her handling of a highly unpopular extradition bill.

Lam Ching-choi told reporters that Chief Executive Carrie Lam was sincerely sorry for mishandling the issue, which drew an estimated 2 million people into the streets in protest on Sunday.

He said Monday that the "number does tell the story. A lot of Hong Kong people don't think the government is thinking very seriously about the present issues."

He said Hong Kong's leaders made a "big mistake" in not consulting the public before proposing the legislation.

He said, "I believe she will communicate her apologies to the public in the near future."

Joshua Wong, a leader in Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement demonstrations, headed to join protesters gathered near Hong Kong's government headquarters after his release from prison.

After speaking to journalists who mobbed him as he left the correctional facility Monday, Wong laid flowers at a makeshift memorial outside a downtown shopping mall where a protester fell to his death Saturday night after hanging a banner on some scaffolding.

Wong's release came as protesters were still gathered near Hong Kong's government headquarters after a protest over an extradition bill promoted by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Organizers said the march drew nearly 2 million people.

"Hello world and hello freedom. GO HONG KONG!! he said in a tweet. "Withdraw the extradition bill. Carrie Lam step down. Drop all political persecutions."

Wong served half of a two-month sentence for contempt related to his involvement in the 2014 protests advocating a more democratic elections process.

A former legislator says protesters are angry their demands are not getting a response from Hong Kong's leader and he sees their current mission as planning for the long term.

After a massive demonstration on Sunday, the remaining protesters who stayed overnight agreed to get off the roads and allow traffic to return to normal in the area Monday morning. They say the suspension of the extradition bill that set off the past week's demonstrations was not enough. They want the bill to be dropped entirely and for leader Carrie Lam to resign.

Former Hong Kong legislator Lee Cheuk-yan says the activists' mission has become a long-term struggle and not a daily struggle. "So if Carrie Lam does not respond to the five demands by the protesters, people will come back and the struggle will continue."

Joshua Wong, a leading figure in Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement demonstrations, has vowed to join the latest protests after he was released from prison.

Wong's release Monday came as protesters were gathered near Hong Kong's government headquarters after a protest on Sunday that organizers said drew nearly 2 million people.

He told journalists that he needed a bit of time but that "no matter what happens, I will join the protest soon."

Wong served half of a two-month sentence for contempt related to his involvement in the 2014 protests advocating a more democratic elections process.

The latest protests were set off by an extradition bill that would allow some criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trials. The legislation has been suspended but residents worry it is a sign of weakening judicial independence in Hong Kong.

Protesters in Hong Kong have begun leaving the streets and gathering near the city's government headquarters.

The demonstrators who stayed after a massive protest march the day before were seen streaming Monday morning into a space outside Hong Kong's Legislative Council after police who had cleared it reopened the area.

Their decision to leave major streets allowed police to reopen them to traffic, averting the possibility of clashes similar to those that broke out June 12, resulting in about 80 people being injured.

Activists were staging strikes and other smaller events Monday. There are demanding that Hong Kong Chief Executive scrap a proposed extradition bill that she has suspended under intense pressure from residents worried it would undermine legal protections in the former British colony.

Protesters in Hong Kong have refused police requests to clear the streets.

A policewoman using a loudspeaker asked them to cooperate Monday morning as police lined up several officers deep and faced them.

A woman in black speaking for the protesters responded with her own microphone. She said they were not blocking anyone from getting to work and would leave only after Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam came to hear them out.

Police removed some of the barriers protesters had set up but refrained from using force. The protesters later put the barriers back and remained.

They are among hundreds who stayed overnight after a huge protest Sunday against a bill that raised fears about China's control of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong police and protesters are facing off Monday morning as authorities try to clear the streets of a few hundred people who stayed near the city government headquarters after massive demonstrations that stretched deep into the night.

The police asked for cooperation in clearing the road. Protesters responded with chants, some kneeling in front of the officers. The move came after activists rejected an apology from the city's top leader for her handling of legislation that has stoked fears of expanding control from Beijing in this former British colony.

Nearly 2 million of the city's 7 million people turned out on Sunday, according to estimates by protest organizers. Police said 338,000 were counted on the designated protest route in the "peak period" of the march. </s> HONG KONG -- Protesters in Hong Kong left the streets, averting possible clashes Monday after haggling for hours with police by moving to areas near the city's government headquarters.

The demonstrators who stayed after a massive protest march the day before, demanding that Chief Executive Carrie Lam abandon a proposed extradition bill, were seen streaming Monday morning into a space outside Hong Kong's Legislative Council after police who had cleared it reopened the area. Their decision to move allowed police to reopen streets to traffic.

The activists have rejected an apology from Lam for her handling of the legislation, which has stoked fears of expanding control from Beijing in this former British colony.

"We are very angry that Carrie Lam has not responded to the demands of all the protesters, but now is the time to talk about strategy, and talk about strategy is to how about how to make the whole struggle into a long-term struggle and not a day struggle, so if Carrie Lam does not respond to the five demands by the protesters, people will come back and the struggle will continue," said Lee Cheuk-yan, a former legislator and activist.

Shortly after daybreak, the police had asked for co-operation in clearing the road but said the protesters could stay on the sidewalks.

For a time, the protesters, many in masks and other gear to guard against possible use of tear gas, responded with chants, some kneeling in front of the officers.

Hundreds were lying or sitting on the roads until they agreed to move to the plaza outside the government building and a spacious nearby park.

Activists had called on Hong Kong residents to boycott classes and work, though it was unclear how many might heed that call.

Nearly 2 million of the city's 7 million people turned out on Sunday, according to estimates by protest organizers. Police said 338,000 were counted on the designated protest route in the "peak period" of the march. A week earlier as many as 1 million people demonstrated to voice their concern over Hong Kong's relations with mainland China in one of the toughest tests of the territory's special status since Beijing took control in a 1997 handover.

The scenes were similar to those seen nearly five years earlier, when protesters camped for weeks in the streets to protest rules that prevented the direct election of the city's chief executive, the top local official.

One of the activists arrested after those demonstrations, Joshua Wong, was released from prison Monday after serving half of a two-month jail sentence for contempt. He headed to join protesters gathered near Hong Kong's government headquarters soon afterward, and also called in a tweet for Lam to resign and for a halt to "all political persecutions."

After daybreak Monday, police announced that they want to clear the streets. Soon after, police lined up several officers deep and faced off against several hundred demonstrators on a street in central Hong Kong.

The night before, as protesters reached the march's end thousands gathered outside the city government headquarters and the office of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who on Saturday suspended her effort to force passage of the bill.

Hong Kong residents worry that allowing some suspects to be sent for trial in mainland China would be another of many steps chipping away at Hong Kong's freedoms and legal autonomy. One concern is that the law might be used to send criminal suspects to China to potentially face vague political charges, possible torture and unfair trials.

The protesters are demanding that Lam scrap the proposal for good and that she step down.

Protesters are also angered over the forceful tactics by police use of tear gas, rubber bullets and other forceful measures as demonstrators broke through barricades outside the city government's headquarters to quell unrest during demonstrations on Wednesday, and over Lam's decision to call the clashes a riot. That worsens the potential legal consequences for those involved.

In a statement issued late Sunday, Lam noted the demonstrations and said the government "understands that these views have been made out of love and care for Hong Kong."

"The chief executive apologizes to the people of Hong Kong for this and pledges to adopt a most sincere and humble attitude to accept criticisms and make improvements in serving the public," it said.

Not enough, said the pro-democracy activists.

"This is a total insult to and fooling the people who took to the street!" the Civil Human Rights Front said in a statement.

Protesters have mainly focused their anger on Lam, who had little choice but to carry through dictates issued by Beijing, where President Xi Jinping has enforced increasingly authoritarian rule. But some were skeptical that having Lam step down would help.

"It doesn't really matter because the next one would be just as evil," said Kayley Fung, 27.

Many here believe Hong Kong's legal autonomy has been significantly diminished despite Beijing's insistence that it is still honouring its promise, dubbed "one country, two systems," that the territory can retain its own social, legal and political system for 50 years after the handover in 1997.

After Lam announced she was suspending the legislation to avoid more violence and allow additional debate, Chinese government officials issued multiple statements backing that decision. Lam, however, made clear she was not withdrawing it.

She has sidestepped questions over whether she should quit and also defended how the police dealt with last week's clashes with demonstrators.

Lam insists the extradition legislation is needed if Hong Kong is to uphold justice, meet its international obligations and not become a magnet for fugitives. The proposed bill would expand the scope of criminal suspect transfers to include Taiwan, Macau and mainland China.

So far, China has been excluded from Hong Kong's extradition agreements because of concerns over its judicial independence and human rights record.

Prosecutions of activists, detentions without trial of five Hong Kong book publishers and the illegal seizure in Hong Kong by mainland agents of at least one mainland businessman are among moves in recent years that have unnerved many in the city of 7 million. </s> Hong Kong (CNN) More than 1 million protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong Sunday, organizers said, to oppose a controversial extradition bill that would enable China to extradite fugitives from the city.

The mass of protesters would be the largest demonstration since the city was handed back to China in 1997. Civil Human Rights Front, the group that organized the protests, said 1.03 million people marched -- a figure that accounts for almost one in seven of the city's 7.48 million-strong population.

Hong Kong Police estimated the number of protesters closer to 240,000.

Critics say the bill will leave anyone on Hong Kong soil vulnerable to being grabbed by the Chinese authorities for political reasons or inadvertent business offenses and undermine the city's semi-autonomous legal system.

The bill has caused political gridlock, outcry among the city's usually pro-conservative business community, and even physical scuffles in the city's legislature, as well as criticism of the Hong Kong government by the United States and European Union.

-- such as Taiwan, Macau and mainland China. Lawmakers have said the The government says the bill is designed to plug loopholes in current law by allowing Hong Kong to decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not to send fugitives to territories where it doesn't have formal extradition deals-- such as Taiwan, Macau and mainland China. Lawmakers have said the guarantee of a fair trial will not be written into the bill.

Protesters waved placards and wore white -- the designated color of the rally. "Hong Kong, never give up!" some chanted.

Sunday afternoon, protesters gathered at Victoria Park in central Hong Kong, waving placards and wearing white -- the designated color of the rally. "Hong Kong, never give up!" some chanted.

Other protesters were heard chanting "step down," "shelve the evil law," "anti extradition to China," and called for Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong, to step down, as the marchers made their way along the 3-kilometer (1.86-mile) route to the Legislative Council in the Admiralty business district.

At least seven people were arrested, the police posted to Twitter

At around 7:30 p.m. in Hong Kong (7:30 a.m. ET), five to six men with masks planned to occupy a main road in the city, Hong Kong Police said on Twitter.

Police said they used pepper spray on the protesters before they escaped the area. Officers urged protesters to disperse.

The protest was mostly peaceful during the day, but it turned violent overnight, with police trying to clear protesters with batons.

Thousands also gathered to protest the extradition bill in cities across Australia on Sunday. Similar marches were planned in other cities around the world, Hong Kong political group Demosisto said in a statement.

At about 10.30 p.m. (10.30 a.m. ET), organizers announced that the protest had ended. CNN journalists on the ground said the bulk of the protesters had dispersed by then, leaving a number of people milling around the Legislative Council.

Late Sunday, the government of Hong Kong released a statement acknowledging the ongoing protests across the island but reiterating the contested bill is still scheduled to resume debate June 12.

"We urge the Legislative Council to scrutinize the Bill in a calm, reasonable and respectful manner to help ensure Hong Kong remains a safe city for residents and business," it said.

Murder of tourist

The case for the bill was expedited by a grisly murder case in Taiwan, where a 20-year-old Hong Kong woman was allegedly killed by her boyfriend while on holiday there. Currently, the suspect cannot be sent from Hong Kong to face justice in Taiwan.

In #HongKong, scores of protesters - including this family - gather in Victoria Park to take part in a march against the proposed #extradition law. pic.twitter.com/Qc61f6REEk — Kristie Lu Stout✌🏽 (@klustout) June 9, 2019

However, Taipei has already said it will refuse to cooperate with the new law if it puts Taiwanese citizens at risk of being extradited to China. The self-ruled island has previously seen citizens accused of crimes in countries that do not recognize Taiwan diplomatically being handed to Chinese custody , despite objections of Taipei.

Earlier this week, Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, slammed the bill.

"People have known exactly why there shouldn't be an extradition agreement with China for years," Patten said in a video message Thursday. "The argument that it's better to have an extradition treaty than to abduct people illegally from Hong Kong -- are people really supposed to believe that?"

Protesters take part in a rally against the proposed extradition law on April 28, 2019, in Hong Kong.

Last month, representatives from the European Union met with Lam, the chief executive, and expressed concern over the bill. Members of the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) have also spoken out against the bill, warning Lam it could "negatively impact the relationship between the United States and Hong Kong."

Unwanted and unneeded?

Business groups in Hong Kong usually take a neutral stance on contentious political issues. But this time they, too, have spoken out against the bill. In a bid to secure their support, the government has limited the scope of extraditable offenses -- but for some that is still not enough.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong warned last week there were "too many uncertainties in fundamental sections of the proposed legislation" for it to be passed in its current form.

"Hong Kong is not ready to see this bill passed and we do not see why it should be rushed through when the loophole it seeks to address has existed for 20 years," the chamber said in a statement.

A woman holds a poster of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, against a proposed extradition law, before a candlelight vigil at Victoria Park in Hong Kong on June 4, 2019.

But government spokesman Matthew Cheung said the move was time sensitive.

"The suspect in the Taiwan murder case is serving sentences for other criminal offenses in Hong Kong but is expected to be released this October," Cheung said. "There is thus a pressing need to provide a legal basis for the assistance that we want to render to Taiwan, before the (legislature) goes into summer recess from mid-July to October."

Cheung did not address Taipei's concerns over the bill. Separately, Lam said it was "unfounded" to suggest the Hong Kong government "will just follow the instructions given by the Central Government and surrender whatever fugitives that the Central Government wants."

A US State Department spokesperson said Washington is "concerned by the Hong Kong government's proposed amendments to its Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, which would allow for individuals to be transferred to mainland China at the request of Communist Party authorities, and is closely monitoring the situation."

"Societies are best served when diverse political views are respected and can be freely expressed," the spokesperson said in a statement. "Continued erosion of the 'One country, Two systems' framework puts at risk Hong Kong's long-established special status in international affairs."

Fierce opposition

The extradition bill, particularly an attempt to fast-track it through Hong Kong's semi-democratic Legislature, has reinvigorated the city's flagging opposition movement after numerous setbacks.

Organizers claimed 130,000 people took part in a protest against the bill in April . While police gave the lower figure of 22,800, it was still the biggest protest since the 2014 Umbrella Movement, an ultimately unsuccessful protest over political reform which shut down parts of the city for months.

Photos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen A candlelight vigil, held in Hong Kong's Victoria Park on Tuesday, remembered the victims of the 1989 massacre in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen The annual candlelight vigil has been taking place in Hong Kong's Victoria Park since 1990. The vigil calls for the release of all dissidents, rehabilitation of the 1989 pro-democracy movement, accountability for the massacre, the end of one-party dictatorship and the start of a democratic China. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen For many who lived in Hong Kong in 1989, the massacre quashed their hopes that a rapidly reforming China would also bring democracy to the city. "Young people in China were demanding democracy," Lee Cheuk-yan, one of the organizers, told CNN in 2017. "We felt that if they made it, it meant Hong Kong would not have to live under an authoritarian regime." The massacre forever changed the character of Hong Kong, Lee said. "In the past we were something of an economic city, but after 1989 we became a political city." Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen While attendance at the annual vigil has fluctuated — with some, particularly younger people, complaining that the focus on democracy in China ignores more pressing demands for reform in the city — key anniversaries have always brought massive numbers to Victoria Park. According to the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, more than 200,000 people attended a commemoration in 2009, and 180,000 came out in 2014 for the 25th anniversary. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen Tens of thousands filled Victoria Park on Tuesday, ignoring sweltering heat and threatening clouds overhead. Most wore black and almost all held candles overhead. The crowd chanted: "Demand accountability for the massacre! End one-party dictatorship! Build a democratic China!" Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen Students at the University of Hong Kong clean the "Pillar of Shame" statue, a memorial for those killed in the 1989 crackdown. Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen Students at the University of Hong Kong observe a minute of silence in front of the "Pillar of Shame" statue. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen A Chinese paramilitary police officer stands guard in front of Mao Zedong's portrait on Beijing's Tiananmen Gate on Tuesday. Hide Caption 8 of 8

Fears over the bill -- and criticism from a broad swath of Hong Kong society -- echo 2003, when half a million people took to the streets to oppose the passage of an anti-sedition law. That legislation was shelved, but the issue has become such a hot-button topic in Hong Kong that -- despite promising to do so -- no governments since have attempted to introduce it.

Sunday's protest comes days after the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre , a pivotal moment that dashed hopes China would democratize before it took control of Hong Kong in 1997.

Hong Kong has commemorated the massacre with a candlelit vigil ever since, the only place on Chinese soil where mass remembrances are held. Organizers said more than 180,000 people joined a vigil in the city's Victoria Park on Tuesday , the largest such event since the 25th anniversary in 2014, which came in the politically fraught run-up to the Umbrella protests.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the number of people who participated in protests in Hong Kong on Sunday. The Civil Human Rights Front estimates there were 1.03 million protesters. </s> Hundreds of Hong Kong people gathered outside the city’s legislature on Monday to call for the resignation of chief executive Carrie Lam, as one of her top advisers declared there was “no chance” a controversial extradition bill that sparked huge protests in the city would be reintroduced.

The protest on Monday followed a mass demonstration on Sunday against the bill that prompted Ms Lam to apologise over her handling of the proposed law, which would for the first time allow criminal suspects to be extradited from Hong Kong to China.

Organisers of Sunday’s rally claimed two million joined the march, while police estimated the number of demonstrators at 338,000, in what was one of the biggest protests in the city since its handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

“Almost a third of Hong Kong’s population came out against the extradition bill and the chief executive has not given a proper response,” said a woman at the city’s legislature who identified herself only as Christy. She said she had been out all night protesting. “Pausing the legislation is not what we want, we want the chief executive to cancel the proposal.”

Ms Lam announced on Saturday that she would suspend the bill indefinitely after insisting for months that she would push it through. Her U-turn came after a week of protests that erupted into violence last Wednesday when police used tear gas and rubber bullets against demonstrators in a rare use of force in the city.

But while Monday’s protests were small compared with previous days, democracy groups have vowed to continue pushing for a full withdrawal of the bill that they say could be abused by China to seize anyone passing through the territory on potentially trumped-up charges. They also want Ms Lam’s resignation and for police to soften any charges brought against the 11 protesters arrested on Wednesday.

Bernard Chan, Ms Lam’s most senior adviser, told Bloomberg there was “no chance the bill will be reintroduced”.

He added that the chief executive needed to “look after Hong Kong interests as well as the [China’s] interests. You can’t look at one and not the other”.

Mr Chan’s comments came after he said last week that it was “impossible” to continue pursuing the controversial bill against a backdrop of violent clashes between protesters and police, in what was the first public sign of a split among the city’s leadership over the issue.

The protests outside the Legislative Council came as Joshua Wong, a leader of the 2014 pro-democracy Occupy protests – the last time mass demonstrations brought the city to a standstill – was released a month early from jail. At a press conference held outside the prison in which he was incarcerated, he joined calls for Ms Lam to resign and later tweeted that the bill should be withdrawn.

“I hope people are aware there’s a new fight after the Umbrella Movement, ” he said.

Mr Wong has been in jail since May, after he lost an appeal against a contempt of court sentence for defying an order to clear a protest site during the pro-democracy rallies. His original three-month sentence was reduced to two months on appeal, citing his young age at the time – he turned 18 during the protests.

Mr Wong said there were about 20 activists still in prison in cases linked to pro-democracy protests, and he hoped there would be no more political prisoners in the territory. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2019 </s> Demonstrators hold signs during a protest to demand authorities scrap a proposed extradition bill with China, in Hong Kong, China June 9, 2019.

After days of protests, the Hong Kong government suspended a proposed extradition bill on the weekend — a move that surprised some China watchers.

The proposed legislation would have allowed fugitives to be handed over to Beijing, fueling concerns that Hong Kong's legal system may be compromised by closer judicial ties with China.

Despite the suspension, protesters turned up in force demanding the resignation of the city's Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

"This is a victory for the protesters, without question," said Duncan Innes-Ker, Asia regional director at the Economist Intelligence Unit, after the proposal was put on hold indefinitely — though not completely scrapped.

"However, in broader terms, the (Chinese) central government is unlikely to back off from its ongoing efforts to tighten political controls over Hong Kong," Innes-Ker added.

He questioned Lam's future as the leader of the territory, and criticized her "poorly judged statements during the demonstrations" that "only served to inflame public anger."

While Lam issued an apology through a government spokesperson on Sunday, organizers of the mass protests called said it was impersonal and a "total insult" to protesters. </s> HONG KONG -- Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam sought to quell public anger Saturday by shelving an unpopular extradition bill that has highlighted apprehension about relations with mainland China, but opponents of the measure said it was not enough.

Activists said they were still planning a mass protest for today, a week after hundreds of thousands marched to demand Lam drop the legislation, which many fear would undermine freedoms enjoyed by the former British colony but not elsewhere in China.

The battle over the proposal to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance to allow some suspects to face trial in mainland Chinese courts has evolved into Hong Kong's most severe political test since the Communist Party-ruled mainland took control in 1997 with a promise not to interfere with the city's civil liberties and courts.

Critics said Lam should withdraw the plan for good, resign and apologize for police use of potentially lethal force during clashes with protesters on Wednesday.

"Democrats in Hong Kong simply cannot accept this suspension decision," said lawmaker Claudia Mo. "Because the suspension is temporary. The pain is still there."

The decision was "too little, too late," she said.

"Hong Kong people have been lied to so many times," said Bonny Leung, a leader of the Civil Human Rights Front, one of the groups that has helped organize the demonstrations.

Lam has said the legislation is needed if Hong Kong is. to uphold justice, meet its international obligations and not become a magnet for fugitives. The proposed bill would expand the scope of criminal suspect transfers to include Taiwan, Macau and mainland China.

China has been excluded from Hong Kong's extradition agreements because of concerns over its judicial independence and human rights record.

Speaking to reporters after announcing her decision Saturday, Lam sidestepped questions over whether she should quit. She insisted she was not withdrawing the proposed amendment and defended the police.

But she said she was suspending the bill indefinitely. It was time, she said, "for responsible government to restore as quickly as possible this calmness in society."

"I want to stress that the government is adopting an open mind," she said. "We have no intention to set a deadline for this work."

She emphasized that a chief concern was to avoid further injuries both for the public and for police. About 80 people were hurt in the clashes last week, more than 20 of them police.

"It's possible there might be even worse confrontations that might be replaced by very serious injuries to my police colleagues and the public," she said. "I don't want any of those injuries to happen."

Lam apologized for what she said were failures in her government's work to win public support for the bill, which is opposed by a wide range of sectors in Hong Kong, including many teachers, students, lawyers and trade unions.

But she insisted the bill was still needed.

"Give us another chance," she said.

Beijing-appointed Lam said she had the central government's backing for her decision to yield to the protests. A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, said in a statement Saturday that the Chinese government "expresses support, respect and understanding" for Lam's decision.

Many analysts believe that given deep public frustration over expanding control from Beijing under President Xi Jinping, China's strongest leader in decades, Lam might eventually have to abandon the plan altogether.

"If there's more mass action this week that doesn't degenerate into smashing, they will have to," said Ken Courtis, an investment banker who has worked in Hong Kong off and on for many years.

The anger seen in the streets has been directed squarely at Lam and the Hong Kong government, not Beijing, he notes.

"Young people continue to be very dissatisfied," said Courtis, chairman of Starfort Investment Holdings. "The economy's not growing like people thought it would grow."

Lam acknowledged that the government needed to tackle other issues, especially a dire lack of affordable housing. She also cited the economy as a concern.

The extradition bill has drawn criticism from U.S. and British lawmakers and human rights groups, prompting Beijing to lash back with warnings against "interference" in its internal affairs.

But analysts say China also has to weigh the risk of seeing Hong Kong, a vital port and financial center of 7 million people, possibly losing its special economic status.

Under the 1992 U.S.-Hong Kong Policy Act, Beijing needs to abide by its "one country, two systems" promises to respect the territory's legal autonomy for 50 years as promised under the agreement signed with Britain for the 1997 handover.

Already, many believe the territory's legal autonomy has been significantly diminished despite Beijing's insistence that it is still honoring those promises. </s> Hundreds of people took to the streets in Hong Kong on Sunday dressed in black to demand the city's embattled leader steps down, a day after she suspended an extradition bill in a dramatic retreat following the most violent protests in decades.

Activists set up gazebos as protesters, some carrying flowers, started to gather in sweltering summer heat to march from Victoria Park to Hong Kong's central government offices.

Beijing-backed Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Saturday indefinitely delayed the extradition bill that could send people to mainland China to face trial, expressing "deep sorrow and regret".

The about-face was one of the most significant political turnarounds by the Hong Kong government since Britain returned the territory to China in 1997, and it threw into question Lam's ability to continue to lead the city.

Activist investor David Webb, in a newsletter on Sunday, said if Lam was a stock he would recommend shorting her with a target price of zero.

"Call it the Carrie trade. She has irrevocably lost the public's trust," Webb said.

"Her minders in Beijing, while expressing public support for now, have clearly lined her up for the chop by distancing themselves from the proposal in recent days."

Protest organizers are hoping more than a million people turn up for the Sunday rally, scheduled to start at 2.30 p.m. local time, similar to numbers they estimated for a demonstration against the proposed extradition bill last Sunday. Police put that count at 240,000.

Violent clashes on Wednesday when police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters near the heart of the financial center grabbed global headlines and forced some banks to shut branches.

Some Hong Kong tycoons have started moving personal wealth offshore over concerns about the proposed extradition law, which critics warn could erode the city's international status.

The city's independent legal system was guaranteed under laws governing Hong Kong's return from British to Chinese rule 22 years ago, and is seen by business and diplomatic communities as its strong remaining asset amid encroachments from Beijing.

Hong Kong has been governed under a "one country, two systems" formula since its return to Beijing, allowing freedoms not enjoyed on mainland China but not a fully democratic vote.

Many accuse Beijing of extensive meddling since then, including obstruction of democratic reforms, interference with elections and of being behind the disappearance of five Hong Kong-based booksellers, starting in 2015, who specialised in works critical of Chinese leaders.

Some opponents of the extradition bill said a suspension was not enough and want it scrapped and Lam to go.

"If she refuses to scrap this controversial bill altogether, it would mean we wouldn't retreat. She stays on, we stay on," said pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo.

Asked repeatedly on Saturday if she would step down, Lam avoided answering directly and appealed to the public to "give us another chance." Lam said she had been a civil servant for decades and still had work she wanted to do.

She added that she felt "deep sorrow and regret that the deficiencies in our work and various other factors have stirred up substantial controversies and disputes in society".

Lam's reversal was hailed by business groups and overseas governments.

"AmCham is relieved by the government decision to suspend the extradition bill and that it listened to the Hong Kong people and international business community," said Tara Joseph, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

The UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Twitter: "Well done HK Government for heeding concerns of the brave citizens who have stood up for their human rights".

China's top newspaper on Sunday condemned "anti-China lackeys" of foreign forces in Hong Kong.

"Certain people in Hong Kong have been relying on foreigners or relying on young people to build themselves up, serving as the pawns and lackeys of foreign anti-China forces," the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily said in a commentary.

"This is resolutely opposed by the whole of the Chinese people including the vast majority of Hong Kong compatriots."

The Hong Kong protests have been the largest in the city since crowds came out against the bloody suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations centered around Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.

Officials said 72 people were admitted to hospitals from the Wednesday protest, while a man died on Saturday after plunging from construction scaffolding where he unfurled a banner denouncing Hong Kong’s extradition bill, local media reported.

Lam had said the extradition law was necessary to prevent criminals using Hong Kong as a place to hide and that human rights would be protected by the city's court which would decide on the extraditions on a case-by-case basis.

Critics, including leading lawyers and rights groups, note China's justice system is controlled by the Communist Party, and say it is marked by torture and forced confessions, arbitrary detention and poor access to lawyers. </s> HONG KONG — Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong are planning a mass protest Sunday even after the territory’s embattled leader Carrie Lam sought to quell public anger by shelving an unpopular extradition bill that has highlighted apprehension about relations with mainland China.

Activists said Lam’s announcement on Saturday is not enough. Over the past week, hundreds of thousands marched to demand Lam drop the legislation, which many fear would undermine freedoms enjoyed by this former British colony but not elsewhere in China.

The battle over the proposal to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance to allow some suspects to face trial in mainland Chinese courts has evolved into Hong Kong’s most severe political test since the Communist Party-ruled mainland took control in 1997 with a promise not to interfere with the city’s civil liberties and courts.

Critics said Lam should withdraw the plan for good, resign and apologize for police use of potentially lethal force during clashes with protesters on Wednesday.

“Democrats in Hong Kong simply cannot accept this suspension decision,” said lawmaker Claudia Mo. “Because the suspension is temporary. The pain is still there.”

The decision was “too little, too late,” she said.

“Hong Kong people have been lied to so many times,” said Bonny Leung, a leader of the Civil Human Rights Front, one of the groups that has helped organize the demonstrations.

Lam has said the legislation is needed if Hong Kong to uphold justice, meet its international obligations and not become a magnet for fugitives. The proposed bill would expand the scope of criminal suspect transfers to include Taiwan, Macau and mainland China.

China has been excluded from Hong Kong’s extradition agreements because of concerns over its judicial independence and human rights record.

Speaking to reporters after announcing her decision Saturday, Lam sidestepped questions over whether she should quit. She insisted she was not withdrawing the proposed amendment and defended the police.

But she said she was suspending the bill indefinitely. It was time, she said, “for responsible government to restore as quickly as possible this calmness in society.”

“I want to stress that the government is adopting an open mind,” she said. “We have no intention to set a deadline for this work.”

She emphasized that a chief concern was to avoid further injuries both for the public and for police. About 80 people were hurt in the clashes earlier in the week, more than 20 of them police.

“It’s possible there might be even worse confrontations that might be replaced by very serious injuries to my police colleagues and the public,” she said. “I don’t want any of those injuries to happen.”

Lam apologized for what she said were failures in her government’s work to win public support for the bill, which is opposed by a wide range of sectors in Hong Kong, including many teachers, students, lawyers and trade unions.

But she insisted the bill was still needed.

“Give us another chance,” she said.

Beijing-appointed Lam said she had the central government’s backing for her decision to yield to the protests. A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, said in a statement Saturday that the Chinese government “expresses support, respect and understanding” for Lam’s decision.

Many analysts believe that given deep public frustration over expanding control from Beijing under President Xi Jinping, China’s strongest leader in decades, Lam might eventually have to abandon the plan altogether.

“If there’s more mass action this week that doesn’t degenerate into smashing, they will have to,” said Ken Courtis, an investment banker who has worked in Hong Kong off and on for many years.

The anger seen in the streets has been directed squarely at Lam and the Hong Kong government, not Beijing, he notes.

“Young people continue to be very dissatisfied,” said Courtis, chairman of Starfort Investment Holdings. “The economy’s not growing like people thought it would grow.”

Lam acknowledged that the government needed to tackle other issues, especially a dire lack of affordable housing. She also cited the economy as a concern.

The extradition bill has drawn criticism from U.S. and British lawmakers and human rights groups, prompting Beijing to lash back with warnings against “interference” in its internal affairs.

But analysts say China also has to weigh the risk of seeing Hong Kong, a vital port and financial center of 7 million people, possibly losing its special economic status.

Under the 1992 U.S.-Hong Kong Policy Act, Beijing needs to abide by its “one country, two systems” promises to respect the territory’s legal autonomy for 50 years as promised under the agreement signed with Britain for the 1997 handover.

Already, many here believe the territory’s legal autonomy has been significantly diminished despite Beijing’s insistence that it is still honoring those promises.

Prosecutions of activists, detentions without trial of five Hong Kong book publishers and the illegal seizure in Hong Kong by mainland agents of at least one mainland businessman are among the moves in recent years that have undermined that

In may well be in China’s interest to help Hong Kong’s role as a financial center to grow in importance given the current extreme trade tensions with the U.S.

Much hinges on whether protests persist or again turn violent, Courtis said.

“That is a limit, a brake of common sense of how far Beijing would push these things,” he said. “The last thing Beijing wants, with all this trouble with Washington, is that Hong Kong boils over.”

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The scheduled peaceful mass protest, despite bill suspension yesterday, of nearly 2 million people gather in Victoria Square demanding the legislation be withdrawn. If the organizers numbers are confirmed, this is the largest protest ever. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam apologizes for proposing the bill. Police say turnout was 338,000 at its peak.