Carrie Lam Comes Face to Face With Angry Hong Kong Residents at Town Hall – The New York Times

Outside the stadium, hundreds of protesters formed a human chain and chanted slogans asking that Mrs. Lam meet their demands, including an independent investigation into allegations of police abuse and amnesty for the more than 1,500 protesters who have been arrested over the past three months. Mrs. Lam has previously rejected those demands.

“This forum is just a political stunt, because our demands have always been clear but she has never listened to us,” said Amanda Au, 15, who came directly from school and was wearing a crisp white school uniform and a black face mask.

After the event ended, protesters massed near the entrances of the stadium, calling on one another to block the road so that Mrs. Lam’s car could not leave. Police officers with batons and shields stood in a row inside the stadium as chants grew more raucous outside.

In an Op-Ed for The New York Times that was published on Wednesday, Mrs. Lam wrote: “It remains this government’s hope that conversation will triumph over conflict and that through its actions, calm can be restored and trust can be rebuilt within the community.

She also wrote that in an upcoming policy address she would be laying out “bold initiatives to tackle deep-seated problems, such as access to affordable housing.”

Hong Kong is bracing for more protests and clashes in the coming week, with demonstrations likely to happen on Saturday, the fifth anniversary of the start of the 2014 Umbrella Movement; on Sunday, in a global march against totalitarianism; and on Tuesday, Oct. 1, a national holiday that this year commemorates the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.