The month of August 2019 in the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests saw a continuation of protests throughout the city. Several of the peaceful daytime protests were held by social groups such as families, the elderly, and various professions. In many instances, peaceful protests occurs during the day, turning increasingly violent at night. In North Point and Tsuen Wan, white- or blue-shirted armed groups were attacking protesters, but unlike in the Yuen Long violence of 21 July they were beaten back in North Point. Protesters aimed at drawing international attention through methods such as extended sit-ins at the airport. In many occasions, an eye injury of a female protester who had served as frontline medical staff became a symbol of the protests. At the airport protests, a mainland journalist was violently tackled by protesters who did not reveal his identity to the protesters. Protesters later apologised for this incident, reducing tensions and satisfying some pro-establishment lawmakers. The Prince Edward station attack on 31 August proved to be a further landmark event in the protests.
Events
1 and 3 August rallies
Financial sector
On the night of 1 August, hundreds of staff from about 80 different financial institutions participated in a flash mob rally at Chater Garden in Admiralty. Protesters were concerned about incidents of alleged police collusion with triad gangsters and demanded respect for rule of law. At least 700 financial sector workers have posted images of staff cards in support of the upcoming 5 August city-wide general strike. The organiser stated 4,300 attended the flash-mob.
Medical sector
On the evening of 2 August, medical professionals held a rally at Edinburgh Place, Central. President of the Hong Kong Public Doctors' Association spoke critically of arrests being made inside hospitals while people are seeking treatment, and also spoke out about excessive use of tear gas by police against protesters. Organisers estimated that 10,000 medical professionals attended the rally.
This was the third medical sector protest in a week. About 1,500 health care specialists had previously assembled at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei to raise concerns about the coordinated attacks of 21 July that occurred in Yuen Long MTR station. Medical students and graduates also held an assembly in the Chinese University of Hong Kong on 26 July. About 1000 people joined the assembly according to the organisers.
Civil servants
Shortly after the medical sector rally began at Edinburgh Place, another rally had also started in Chater Garden held by thousands of civil servants. By 6:45 pm the park was already overflowing with people, prompting police to close nearby Chater Road to traffic. Former chief secretary Anson Chan and former Secretary for the Civil Service Joseph Wong both urged an independent inquiry into police misconduct and defended freedom of expression, questioning the validity of Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung's warning about the risks of joining the rally and "breaching the principle of political neutrality." Wong stated, "The first line [of the civil service code], which I wrote, is to safeguard the rule of law. Rule of law is higher than our loyalty to any official, any chief executive. No one is above it."
Musician and activist Denise Ho also spoke at the rally, and encouraged broad participation at the upcoming 5 August general strike. Ho said that there was safety in numbers, and that the government is more likely to respond to continuous pressure and indefinite strike actions. While police estimated attendance of 13,000, the organiser claimed 40,000 civil servants participated at the rally.
Ma On Shan police station blockades
1 August
On 1 August, a police station in Ma On Shan was surrounded by a large number of protesters demanding the release of demonstrators facing riot charges from the previous week's protest. Photos show protesters hurling bricks that were dug out from pavements towards the police station, shattering windows. At around 3:50 am, riot police cleared away the protesters.
2 August
On 2 August, hundreds of protesters gathered in response to police raids and arrests made for possession of protest supplies. At 11 pm, a crowd assembled near the Sha Tin police station and constructed barricades. By 1 am the protest shifted to the Ma On Shan police station, after protesters received word that the eight arrested individuals were being held there. Protesters attempted to pry open the metal shutters, vandalised building walls, and removed the "Ma On Shan Police Station" sign. Riot police arrived on the scene and by 3:15 am the crowds had dispersed.
3 August
On 3 August, protesters returned to Ma On Shan police station for the second consecutive night. They demanded the release of the eight arrested protesters, including pro-independence activist Andy Chan Ho-tin, who had been arrested the day before during a police raid on a building in Fo Tan and charged on suspicion of offensive weapons. The group of about 100 protesters banged on the metal shutters, threw hell money to curse the officers inside, and some painted graffiti messages such as "liberate Hong Kong" and "all consequences are at your own risk." Riot police began clearing the crowds at 10:45 pm. The police attempted to enter Park Belvedere, a private residential building, angering both protesters and residents. The police also allegedly threw pepper bombs at people on a bridge.
3 August protests
A planned and approved march started from Anchor Street Playground at 3:30 pm. Protesters in the front of the rally held a banner that read "Police have too much power" (Chinese: 警權過大); a popular slogan for the day was "Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our time". Marchers urged people to join in the general strike on 5 August. The front of the rally arrived at Cherry Street park at 5 pm, but some protesters did not follow the designated route, and headed directly to Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui instead; other protesters first arrived at the park and then followed on to Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui.
At around 6:30 pm, protesters moved barricades into the toll plaza of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel in Hung Hom, blocking vehicles and then disappeared. Around 9:30 pm, riot police fired tear gas on protesters in both Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok. Several arrests were made. A small group of protesters also removed the Chinese flag near the Star Ferry pier in Tsim Sha Tsui and threw it into Victoria Harbour.
After having received multiple shots of tear gas, protesters moved to the police station at Wong Tai Sin, then left via MTR. Riot police followed and arrested several alleged protesters in the Wong Tai Sin station. However, the presence of riot police officers angered nearby residents, who requested police to release those arrested and leave the district. They threw umbrellas and set off fire extinguishers. Shortly after, police officers fired tear gas at residents to disperse the crowd, which then went to protest at the nearby police station and Disciplined Services quarters. Dormitory residents showered residents and protesters with sticks, glass bottles and firecrackers from the building. After multiple shots of tear gas, protesters retreated and occupied Lung Cheung Road, then dispersed after.
At the same time, multiple protesters surrounded Mong Kok Police Station. Riot police also arrived shortly and arrested protesters. Some of those arrested stated that they were only passers-by or local residents, and not protesters. Two foreign nationals, a Filipino and a South Korean, were arrested by authorities who suspects their involvement in the protest. The Filipino was Hong Kong Disneyland employee who was wearing black at the time of his arrest and the South Korean a restaurant worker. This is believed to be the first arrests of expatriates since the escalation of the protest in June.
4 August protests
The demonstrations on 4 August began with a permitted march in Tseung Kwan O, starting from Po Tsui Park at 2 pm, with organisers stating around 150,000 protesters in attendance. During the rally, protesters threw bricks towards the police station breaking windows. They chanted "Hong Kong police knowingly break the law" and "Shame on the corrupt police". Police officers then appeared with police dogs and protesters dispersed. At night, the crowds occupied Po Shun Road. Riot police arrived to disperse crowds, and they unreasonably attacked a passer-by.
Another rally appeared in Kennedy Town after the Tseung Kwan O rally. By the evening, protesters defied the police ban and marched towards Sheung Wan. However, by about 7 pm police deployed tear gas canisters and routed the group to Causeway Bay, where thousands of protesters setup blockades and occupied areas of the shopping district. Then again by 10 pm riot police attempted to clear the streets with the use of tear gas.
Near the end of the Kennedy Town protest, some protesters went and blocked the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and a small group of protesters sprayed graffiti on the sculpture at the Golden Bauhinia Square. At the same time, a group of protesters gathered at Wong Tai Sin police station, protesting their way of force to the residents in the 3 August protest. Fearing that the police may deploy heavy force following 3 August scuffles, some protesters opted to occupy sections in Ngau Tau Kok and Kwun Tong. At night, various protests and police operations were done in Mei Foo, Wong Tai Sin, Tin Shui Wai, Ma On Shan, and Lam Tin. Eastern Harbour Crossing and Tseung Kwan O Tunnel were temporarily blocked during the protests.
5 August general strike
There was a city-wide general strike on 5 August, with protests and sit-ins in different districts. The Cross-Harbour Tunnel was affected by street blockades, major roadways were obstructed and train lines stalled, as thousands of workers across 20 different sectors participated, putting pressure on the government to meet protesters' demands. At least seven major rallies and organising assemblies were held throughout areas of Hong Kong. The main rallies took place in Tamar Park in Admiralty, Sha Tin Town Hall, Tuen Mun Park, Discovery Park in Tsuen Wan, Wong Tai Sin Square, MacPherson Playground in Mong Kok and Tin Hau Temple Fung Shui Square in Tai Po.
Workers from various industries as well as several trade unions had announced in advance that they would join the strike. The government of Hong Kong issued a statement, urging citizens to not participate in the strike as it would "undermine further the local economy that is facing downside risks." Employees at Hong Kong Disneyland announced work stoppages. Many air traffic controllers called in sick, and over 200 flights were cancelled while only one of the airport runways was operational.
Carrie Lam held a press conference at 10 am, condemning those who joined the strike, and stated that they are "destroying Hong Kong". She continued to support the police force and rejected the five demands by protesters. Pro-Beijing legislator Ann Chiang voiced her disappointment towards Lam's speech with a Facebook post, stating that Lam had raised many issues but offered no solutions. Meanwhile, the Hang Seng Index started to drop during Lam's conference and fell 2.9% by the midday break.
In the evening, protesters near the North Point neighbourhood and Tsuen Wan were attacked by two groups of stick wielding men, some wearing white shirts and another group in professionally printed blue shirts. The scuffles were brief and unexpected, and similar in nature to the 21 July Yuen Long attacks. However, unlike the Yuen Long attacks, protesters in North Point fought back. Later in the night several police stations were blockaded by protesters and vandalised. Police arrested 148 people by the end of the day. To disperse the protesters, the police force used more than 800 canisters of tear gas, a record number for Hong Kong, in 14 out of 18 districts in Hong Kong. As the police used tear gas in close proximity to many densely populated residential areas, many residents, children, and pets were affected.
On 6 August, Chairwoman Carol Ng of the Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) stated: "If there is still no proper response from the government ... I presume it is possible to have another strike." The HKCTU helped to organise the 5 August general strike. They estimated 350,000 people had joined the strike. About 290,000 attended protests and rallies city-wide, while the remainder stayed home and away from work that day.