Thousands rally to commemorate 2014 Hong Kong protests

Thousands of people gathered Saturday for a rally in downtown Hong Kong, belting out songs, speeches and slogans to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2014 protest movement that called for democratic reforms in the semiautonomous Chinese territory.

The rally at Tamar Park by the Civil Human Rights Front was approved by police but security was tight, with barriers blocking access to government offices and the Legislative Council building, which was stormed by protesters in July.

Demonstrators unfurled a big banner that read "We are back" on a footbridge to the government office.

A staircase leading to the bridge was turned into a veritable art gallery of protest art, with posters stuck on every available surface of the walkway.

One read "Persevere until final victory."
"But if we don't do anything now, we'll have no other chance."
Apart from Saturday's rally in the city center, protesters are also planning global "anti-totalitarianism" rallies on Sunday in Hong Kong and over 60 other cities worldwide to denounce what they called "Chinese tyranny."
Separately, American academic Dan Garrett, who testified at a US congressional hearing with Wong on September 18, said Saturday that he was denied entry into Hong Kong on Thursday due to "unspecified immigration reasons."