[Hong Kong, July 1, 2003] The press estimated that 400,000 to 1 million local Hong Kong residents took to the streets in protest of the new Article 23 bill imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing.

This was the largest public rally since 1989 when Hong Kong residents gathered in public to support students on Tiananmen Square. Political analysts say that this rally also expressed discontent toward the Hong Kong Administration handpicked by Beijing over a series of issues such as the declining economy, unemployment, SARS-related health issues, and the terror of this new security bill for censorship, etc.

It is reported that groups such as the press and publishing business, Christians, the Falun Gong spiritual movement, teachers, and the legal community are gravely concerned with deprivation of their rights due to this new bill.