Hong Kong protesters take to streets of Osaka to appeal for G20 leaders' support

Days before the G20 summit, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo had indicated that Donald Trump may raise the recent mass demonstrations with Xi Jinping during their meeting.
Uyghur protesters wear chains during an anti-China rally in Osaka, Japan on Friday, June 28, 2019. (Photo | AP)
Uyghur protesters wear chains during an anti-China rally in Osaka, Japan on Friday, June 28, 2019. (Photo | AP)

OSAKA: Thousands of Hong Kong protesters took to the streets in Japan's Osaka, where the G20 Summit is underway, on Friday to appeal for the support from the G20 leaders in their fight against a controversial extradition bill.

The pro-democracy protestors have been pushing to get the bill onto this year's G20 agenda, despite a top Chinese Foreign Ministry official earlier saying that Beijing would not allow the matter to be brought up in the summit, reported CNN.

It should be recalled that a series of mass protests were carried out in Hong Kong for over two weeks against an extradition bill, which many fear could be used to deport political activists and dissidents to mainland China.

CaptionUyghur protesters wear chains during an anti-China rally in Osaka, Japan on Friday, June 28, 2019. (Photo | AP)
CaptionUyghur protesters wear chains during an anti-China rally in Osaka, Japan on Friday, June 28, 2019. (Photo | AP)

The extradition bill was proposed on April 3. The opposers to the bill argue that its controversial amendments will leave anyone on Hong Kong soil vulnerable to being grabbed by the Chinese authorities for political reasons or inadvertent business offences.

They further reason that the newly framed extradition plan would dissolve the rights and legal protections, which were guaranteed under the city's handover from British colonial rule to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.

Days before the G20 summit, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo had indicated that Donald Trump may raise the recent mass demonstrations with Xi Jinping during their meeting. The two leaders will hold the bilateral on Saturday.

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