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Hong Kong protests draw thousands, down from earlier rallies

A protester takes part in a sit in outside police headquarters during a protest in Hong Kong, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019. The protests that started in June over a now-shelved extradition bill have since snowballed into an anti-China campaign amid anger over what many view as Beijing's interference in Hong Kong's autonomy that was granted when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

HONG KONG — Protesters are marching again in Hong Kong but in numbers that so far seem significantly reduced from rallies that drew many thousands as recently as last weekend.

A march in Kowloon on Saturday afternoon drew a couple of thousand people who marched peacefully, chanting slogans and braving a ferocious downpour.

Outside the police headquarters on Hong Kong Island, about 200 people, many of them retirees, also gathered peacefully, although some shouted abuse at officers who did not intervene.

The low-key protests lacked the numbers of some much larger demonstrations seen during the more than four months of unrest that have gripped the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

As recently as last Sunday, tens of thousands of masked protesters had hit Hong Kong’s rain-drenched streets.

The Associated Press