Hong Kong activists paused their protests Wednesday in remembrance of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Reuters reported.
“In solidarity against terrorism, all forms of protest in Hong Kong will be suspended on Sept. 11, apart from potential singing and chanting,” they said in a statement.
They also denounced a Chinese state newspaper which reported that the protests were planning “massive terror” in the semi-autonomous city.
“Anti-government fanatics are planning massive terror attacks, including blowing up gas pipes, in Hong Kong on September 11,” the Hong Kong edition of the China Daily said on its Facebook page, with a picture of the airliner attacks on the twin towers in New York.
“We don’t even need to do a fact check to know that this is fake news,” one protester, Michael, 24, told Reuters. “The state media doesn’t care about its credibility. Whenever something they claimed to have heard on WhatsApp or friends’ friends, they will spread it right away.”
Hong Kong has been wracked for months by protests that started in opposition to a bill that would have allowed the extradition of Hong Kong citizens to China, but have since evolved to more general anti-government and pro-democracy demonstrations.
City chief executive Carrie Lam finally withdrew the bill earlier last week, but protests have continued.
*story by The Hill