Clashes erupt at Hong Kong rally to support China's Uighurs

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Riot policemen arrest protesters during a rally to show support for Uighurs and their fight for human rights in Hong Kong, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

HONG KONG – Clashes broke out Sunday between Hong Kong police and protesters at a rally in support of China's Uighur minority.

Police arrested two protesters who were attempting to burn a Chinese flag at the rally, which was attended by several hundred people.

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Some were holding signs emblazoned with the blue and white flag of the independence movement in the northwestern Chinese territory of Xinjiang.

China has been accused of a mass crackdown against Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, with reports of millions being held in heavily secured, prison-like camps.

Chinese diplomats have claimed that China holds no political prisoners and insist the centers provide vocational education as a bulwark against religious extremism.

Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous Chinese territory, has been in the grip of a pro-democracy movement for the past six months, with many protesters finding common cause with human rights movements elsewhere in China and beyond.


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