At least 1,900 Hong Kongers took the streets to call for democracy on a sweltering Sunday afternoon , an energetic prelude to Wednesday 's scheduled mass vigil honoring the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown . The protesters , many of whom were students , marched to Hong Kong 's government headquarters shouting `` democracy now '' and `` end one-party rule . '' A team carried a massive banner demanding Chinese leaders formally acknowledge what happened on June 4th , 1989 , while others carried signs demanding the release of political prisoners such as Nobel Prize-winning dissident Liu Xiaobo . One of the lead marchers was Yvonne Leung , 20 , the president of the Hong Kong University Students Union . `` Personally , my main concern is to end one-party rule in China , because the Communist Party is ruling illegitimately , '' she said . `` It does n't have the Chinese 's people 's mandate ... and it is not acceptable . Democracy is a universal value . '' Another protester , 21-year-old Vincent Wong , said he was protesting to keep the memory of the Tiananmen victims alive . `` The Tiananmen Square massacre was a mistake , '' he said . `` Mistakes can be forgiven , but history can not be forgotten . '' Doubts over free speech . The former British colony is currently the only place within Chinese territory where large pro-democracy demonstrations are tolerated . Still , many of its residents are worried that the city 's freedoms are steadily eroding . In February , journalists organized a 6,500-person rally decrying what they said were increasing levels of coercion against Hong Kong press . Days after the rally , a prominent Hong Kong news editor known for his hard-hitting coverage of China was stabbed by unidentified assailants . The attack , which is still being investigated , was seen by many local journalists a symbol of the city 's declining press freedom . `` If a respected editor could be attacked in such a blatant and ruthless manner , no one in the news-gathering business is safe , '' wrote South China Morning Post columnist Alex Lo . This year , French-based Reporters Without Borders ranked Hong Kong 61st worldwide in press freedom — a precipitous drop from its 18th place ranking in 2002 . READ MORE : Hong Kong press freedom at all-time low . Calls for electoral reform . The city is also facing an impending showdown with Beijing over electoral reform . Pan-democrat Hong Kongers want the city 's general population to be able to nominate and elect its next chief executive , but Hong Kong 's pro-Beijing politicians have argued that a small committee should select only candidates who `` love China . '' Later this month , a pro-democracy group called Occupy Central plans to hold an unofficial citywide referendum asking Hong Kong 's citizens to vote for their preferred type of electoral reform , a move that has irked the city 's pro-Beijing establishment . If the results show support for public nomination and elections , Occupy Central says it will block traffic in Hong Kong 's crowded downtown to pressure the government to adopt its reforms . A January poll by the non-partisan Hong Kong Transition Project found 38 % of Hong Kongers supported Occupy Central 's proposed civil disobedience , while 54 % opposed it . China 's vice president has warned that such a protest would be `` unlawful '' and would `` wreck the stability and prosperity '' of the city . For now , hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers are expected to attend the city 's annual June 4th vigil , where the Communist Party is certain to come under vicious public criticism . More loud protests are guaranteed . What 's less certain is whether Hong Kong will find a political solution .
At least 1,900 Hong Kongers took the streets to call for democracy . The protests were sparked by a decision made in July that allowed Beijing to nominate candidates for election as chief executive and other top government posts. Protest foreshadows even larger planned demonstrations .