Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protesters Rally for Catalan Separatists

Pro-democracy demonstrators hold Esteladas (Catalan separatist flags), an Union Jack flag and banners as they gather in Hong Kong’s Chater Garden to show their solidarity with the Catalonian independence movement in Spain, in Hong Kong, China, on Oct. 24, 2019. Ammar Awad/Reuters

HONG KONG—Hundreds of Hong Kong protesters, some waving Catalan flags and banners urging “a fight for freedom together,” rallied in support of a separate Catalonia on Oct. 24, broaching an issue that is anathema to Hong Kong’s rulers in Beijing.

In Hong Kong’s demonstrations, millions have taken to the streets in sometimes violent clashes over what they see as China’s tightening grip. Most protesters in the former British colony want greater democracy, among other demands, although a small minority is calling for independence.