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Hong Kong protests escalate, police fire pepper pellets

Hong Kong riot police fired pepper pellets to disperse protesters in the city's central financial district Wednesday (May 27).

Hundreds of protesters had taken to the streets and shopping malls as city's legislature debated a bill that criminalizes disrepect of the Chinese National anthem.

Protesters see as a move by Beijing to strip away the city's freedoms.

The bill carries penalties of up to three years in jail and/or fines of up to $6,500.

People of all ages turned out; some dressed in black, some wearing office clothes, and others hiding their identities under umbrellas.

Pro-democracy politician Kalvin Ho was at the protest:

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"After returning to China for more than 20 years, we didn't have any progress in this stage. But alternatively we can see the CCP is trying to suppress all people, the Hong Kong people, in a more serious manner."

Last week, Beijing also proposed new national security laws which also helped fan the flames of Hong Kong's new protests.

The law aims to prevent and punish subversion, separatism, terrorism or foreign interferenceand could see Chinese intelligence agencies set up in Hong Kong.

It triggered the largest protests in months on Sunday (May 24).

That event also saw mass arrests.

At Wednesday's protest dozens of people were seen rounded up by riot police and made to sit on the sidewalk, before being searched, while officer workers on their lunchbreak looked on.

The protests are reminiscent of the unrest that shook the city throughout last year.

The security laws could be passed in a matter of days by China's governing National People's Congress.

The laws have been widely criticised around the globe.

When U.S. President Donald Trump was asked if they will impose sanctions on China, he said:

"It's something you're going to be hearing about ... before the end of the week - very powerfully I think."

China's foreign ministry then hit back hours later Wednesday saying it will take necessary countermeasures to any foreign interference.