Timeline of the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests (April 2020)

Memorial at the carpark, 8 April

Protesters mourned the death of Chow Tsz-lok, who passed away in November 2019. A large number of riot police were on patrol at Tseung Kwan O station and the parking lot of Shangde Village at 5:00 pm and observed and photographed the ground conditions at the upper level of the parking lot. Under the "Limitation Order" only a few citizens laid flowers outside the Suntech parking lot. Some citizens were dissatisfied and asked by police officers to leave.[4]

The Court of Appeal ruled that the Hong Kong government's use of the Emergency Regulations Ordinance to formulate the Prohibition on Face Covering Regulation was constitutional. Part of the government's appeal was justified, and the Prohibition on Face Covering Regulation was in effect when protesters assembled illegally or without approval. The two provisions – "Prohibition of masking during legal processions and meetings" and "Police officers have the right to require persons in public places to remove masked items" – remain unconstitutional. The Court of Appeal said that whether it is illegal assembly or unauthorised assembly, it is also necessary to deter people from wearing masks and impede the proper implementation of the provisions of the Public Order Ordinance. Under such circumstances, the Prohibition on Face Covering Regulation is constitutionally valid. However, it is unconstitutional to use the Prohibition on Face Covering Regulation in the procession and assembly of the "No Objection Notice" issued by the police.[5][6]

The Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts sentenced a 21-year-old male barista, who burned and trampled on the flag outside the Tuen Mun Town Hall during a confrontation in Tuen Mun on 21 September 2019, to a 240-hour social service order.[7]

Hong Kong police arrested 15 Democrats on the morning of 18 April. Most being current or former legislators were charged with participating in unlawful assemblies in 2019 in connection with the protests.[8]

From 2:00 pm about 30 protesters gathered outside the Cheung Sha Wan Police Station to support the arrested politicians. During the protest, police officers in the station spoke to the protesters three times alleging they were involved in violation of the Restriction Order and demanded they disperse. By 4:00 pm Fu Zhenzhong, the founder of the Hong Kong Defence Movement, and several pro-police protesters were on the scene with the pro-democracy protesters who were holding a sit-in protest.[9]

The arrests attracted the attention of the British and American governments and several international human rights organisations and the media. A total of five organisations including the International Bar Association, the Law Society of England and Wales and the International Commission of Jurists issued a statement indicating their concerns over the arrest of the 15 Democrats. They believed the arrests reflected the continued impact of Hong Kong's freedom of expression and right to protest.[10] Former Governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten criticised this as being against the rule of law and the actions of an authoritarian government.[11] U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, issued a statement condemning the arrests as not being in accordance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said on Twitter that Hong Kong's democracy and human rights continued to be violated, urging the White House to implement the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.[12] On 23 April, more than 30 members of the European Parliament issued two co-signed open letters condemning the political prosecution of Hong Kong democrats by the Hong Kong government.[13]

A government spokesman pointed out that the relevant cases had entered the judicial process and no one should make comments about unfounded speculations.[14] A spokesperson from the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the criticism by the European Parliament, referring to the open letter as "hypocrisy and arrogance on the issue of Hong Kong".[15]

In an article that appeared in the Ming Pao newspaper, the daughter and friends of an over-50-year-old deceased woman who had suffered from asthma asked the police to disclose the composition of the tear gas that had been used during demonstrations at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The deceased had been to protests at various locations, including the Chinese University and Polytechnic University, since October 2019. According to witnesses, she wished to protect the younger protesters despite being affected by the tear gas. She was admitted to hospital because of dyspnea, and released later. She died at home on 2 December 2019 due to dyspnea. The police insisted their use of tear gas had been safe.[17]

Protesters at the Yoho Mall

At 8:00 pm, more than 20 protesters sat in the atrium of the Yoho Mall and chanted slogans. About 10:00 pm, a large number of riot police officers suddenly rushed onto the footbridge of Castle Peak Road, intercepting a number of citizens passing by. Some riot police officers ordered two citizens to leave, then pepper sprayed them. About 11:00 pm, riot police raised a blue flag warning at Youxin Street and intercepted six people at Fucai Street . A fixed penalty order was issued with a Restriction Order. Some citizens have indicated they will defend the charges in court.[18] At least two men were arrested that day.[19]

About 1:00 pm, approximately ten protesters launched the "Lunch with You" event in the atrium of the International Financial Center Mall in Central, Hong Kong. They repeatedly chanted: "Glory to Hong Kong, Revolution of the Times", "Five Demands, Not One Less". Affected by the "Position Restriction Order", the participants kept their distance and placed banners on the ground. About 2:00 pm, the protest dispersed peacefully. There were police officers stationed at the overpasses at the exits of the mall and at the entrance of the Exchange Square.[20]

A young man trampled the national flag of the People's Republic of China in a pro-democracy protest in 2019. After pleading guilty, he was initially sentenced to a 200-hour social service order. The Hong Kong government appealed to the Court of Appeal, which changed the sentence to 20 days in prison.[21]

At 6:20 pm, about 300 protesters participated in a "sing with you" activity on multiple floors of the Cityplaza. Many protesters chanted slogans and waved flags. The police dispatched a large number of officers. Officers and police cars were on patrol. By about 6:40 pm, Eastern Commander Wei Zhida, together with a large number of riot police officers holding shields and pepper spray, entered the mall from different locations to disperse the protesters, accusing them of violating the Restriction Order. The police asked people in the mall to leave one by one.[22] About 7:00 pm in the evening, the riot police with anti-riot guns entered the second floor of the mall from the underground. The scene was chaotic. During this period, a police officer pointed pepper spray at a reporter. Police officers later pulled up the cordon, and some people were stopped and searched outside the mall. About 8:00 pm the mall broadcast that it was about to close.[23]

Some protesters stayed on nearby roads. The police used a loudspeaker to read the Restriction Order, raised a blue flag warning at Yan Palace Pavilion, and began to disperse the crowd. Police surrounded District Councillor Andrew Chiu and his assistant. The assistant was violently pushed to the ground by several riot police officers. Afterwards, he could only blink and became unconscious. Police had allowed first-aiders to enter the scene after a delay of five minutes. Andrew Chiu strongly condemned and regretted the police's actions. The police subdued a man outside the Yan Palace Pavilion, who then passed out and was sent to the hospital for treatment.[24]

The police issued a press release saying any person attending a public event with the common purpose of gathering was deemed to attend a group gathering, and that the upper limit of four people at group gatherings had to be observed, otherwise each participant would be liable to prosecution.[25]

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  Protesters at Cityplaza
• 
  Police with pepper spray
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  Protesters outside Cityplaza
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  Police cordon outside of Cityplaza
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  Andrew Chiu having pepper spray aimed at him

About 6:00 pm, dozens of protesters participated in the "sing with you" activity in the atrium of the International Financial Center Mall in Central. They repeatedly chanted the slogan "Glory to Hong Kong". Before the event, at least 14 police cars were parked in the General Post Office, outside the Hong Kong station MTR and the Exchange Square bus station, and a large number of uniformed police officers were on patrol at the entrances of the shopping malls. By 6:30 pm, two groups of police officers entered multiple floors of the mall and set up a blockade line in the atrium to drive away the citizens and reporters. The police used a megaphone to announce that the Restraining Order was in effect and warned the public not to gather in the shopping mall; many shops had closed their doors. Another group of police officers stopped several citizens outside the atrium and shops and issued fixed penalty notices. Liu Dingcheng, a Hong Kong businessman at the scene, criticised the police for not providing a time limit for the public to leave, nor issuing a warning. He believed the police officers were unreasonable and he would not pay a fine. Some people think the police abuse the Restriction Order to charge the public.[26]

About 7:00 pm, Hui Chi-fung a member of the Legislative Council, was present and asked police officers to not enter the mall to disturb the public thinking that they would make the scene more chaotic and stop more people gathering. Later, Central and Western District Councillors, Sam Yip, Huang Yongzhi and Ren Jiaer were also present. Police officers briefly left the IFC mall, during which time citizens dressed as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared. By about 7:30 pm, nearly 200 uniformed police officers entered the mall again to intercept many protesters, upsetting the citizens present. Some protesters remained in the mall to sing and chant slogans. The police left the mall at 9 pm and went to the B1 exit of Hong Kong Station to intercept the public. Seven young people who had returned to the city from Cheung Chau said they were intercepted when entering the mall. They were brought to the station to register their ID cards before they were released.[27]

Protesters were originally scheduled to gather in the atrium of the Central International Financial Center shopping mall at 1:00 pm, but before the event began a large number of military uniformed police officers around the mall were on patrol. Later, the meeting place was changed to the Landmark Plaza, and epidemic prevention materials were distributed at the scene. There were to be no more than four people in a group, and they were to keep a distance of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in). About 30 people participated. The mall's security guard held a sign reading "maintain a safe social distance" and did not engage with the public. Around 1:30 pm, approximately ten police officers arrived at the scene. Kai Mi warned those who had gathered in the mall to violate the Restriction Order and called on them to leave immediately or they would be issued a ticket. A police officer recorded the event. Central and Western District Councillor Ye Jinlong arrived at the scene and told the police loudly that the people present were holding a "health talk" and asked the police not to abuse the 599G regulations. About 15 minutes after the disturbance, the participants dispersed and the police left the Landmark.[28]

From 7:00 pm onward, more than 80 protesters gathered near the atrium of the second phase of the Ginza Shopping Centre in Tin Shui Wai. Some people displayed the banner of "Glory Hong Kong, Revolution of the Times".[29] Around 7:30 pm, a police officer entered the mall and warned the citizens they would be charged with a Restriction Order and left after five minutes. At 8:00 pm, the riot police raised a yellow flag outside the shopping mall Phase 1 to disperse the citizens and pulled up the orange blockade line. During this period, a citizen threw a glass bottle at the police officer. At 9:00 pm, the riot police raised the blue flag to carry out the dispersal operation. A police officer rushed to the entrance of the mall to collar a young man in uniform. This man was later searched with four young people and issued a ticket. One of the women was taken away because she did not bring her identity card. The riot police boarded the police car at 10:16 pm and left.[30]