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Thousands gather for ‘martyrs’ vigil amid Hong Kong protests

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Hong Kong protesters held a vigil for “martyrs” on Saturday and many demanded “revenge” after a student died in hospital this week following a high fall, fuelling anger among pro-democracy demonstrators who first took to the streets in June.

Thousands of people gathered in Tamar Park next to central government offices in the former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997, after they had secured rare permission from the police to hold the evening rally.

The protesters sang hymns and carried flowers, while many shouted “revenge,” a call heard increasingly often at rallies and given added impetus since a student died in hospital on Friday after falling from multi-storey park during a protest.

“Tonight we are not only here to mourn for him but to show the government, the Chinese Communist Party and the world that the things that have happened in the last six months have not been forgotten,” said Tom, 26, a government worker who asked that only his first name be used.

Chow Tsz-lok, 22, a student at Hong Kong’s University of Science and Technology (UST), fell on Monday as protesters were being dispersed by police.

Rallies have often erupted into clashes between police and protesters, creating the worst political crisis in the territory for decades, although Saturday’s vigil that drew students, older people and a few children was quiet in the early evening.

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