Protest in Hong Kong attracts little support amid virus

Pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong are trying to continue protests in spite of anti-coronavirus regulations calling for social distance and no large gatherings.

A handful of activists caused a stir at Landmark Shopping Centre in the central business district on Wednesday.

It was a throwback to last year, when crowds filled streets with protest slogans and police filled streets with tear gas.

However, this time there were no clashes.

The tiny group of vocal activists shouted and sang, with some passers-by unfurling banners and placards on balconies.

A large deployment of police mostly kept out of the way.

The gathering recalled the same "five demands" of last year's protests, centered around demands for voting rights and an independent inquiry into police conduct.

One protester highlighted the case of Legislative Councilor Dennis Kwok, who has recently been subject to criticism from the Chinese Communist Party, and Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, over accusations that some members of the legislature are filibustering.

So far, the police have broken up similar protests in shopping centres over the past few days, defining the gathering as having "common purpose," rather than citing the detail of current regulations which prohibit more than four people from taking part in a social gathering, and requiring people in public to try to stay 1.5 metres away from each other.

A former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997.

While the framework of "one country, two systems" promises the city greater democratic rights than are afforded to the mainland, protesters say their freedoms have been steadily eroding under Chinese President Xi Jinping.