The demonstrations began in opposition to a government bill that proposed a system for case-by-case fugitive transfers between Hong Kong and jurisdictions with which it does not have agreements, including mainland China, where the courts are controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, and Taiwan. The bill was triggered in February 2019, following a murder case in Taiwan when the authorities requested the extradition of a Hong Kong suspect.
ESCALATING VIOLENCE
The protests rapidly gathered momentum from peaceful marches to mass demonstrations before turning ugly on June 12 when clashes between protesters and police resulted in 81 demonstrators and 22 officers being injured and 150 rounds of tear gas being fired.