Perhaps you are unaware, China has produced videos of military units gathering near the border of HK. China is making very visible threats to peace.

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"Let's not pretend" - are you copying my language from another comment? weird or a coincidence.

Anyway we don't see eye to eye on this. In my view, Beijing's obstinance is causing all kinds of trouble in HK, for both the HK police and the general population.

This could all be resolved swiftly by simply retracting the extradition bill. The longer the disagreement continues, the more likely more people in China have a chance to hear both sides of the story. I expect that is a scarier prospect for Beijing than they would like to admit.

This is not a response to "peaceful protests", which are common in Hongkong without any problem, including on very sensitive issues (e.g. the annual gathering to commemorate the 1989 protests on Tiananmen Square).

Let's not pretend that what has been happening are just peaceful protests: There has also been violence, ransacking of the LegCo, and blockade of the airport. Any of which would not have been accepted anywhere.

Protesters have won on the extradition bill. It's effectively gone. Now they have just made sure that the mainland's public opinion rally against them and behind the central government. That has been a strategic mistake, IMHO.

Experience with many governments shows that they often just put these bills into a drawer and pull it back out at the next opportunity.

I feel we have to protest the same things every few years here, in a democratic state where we are free to do so.

Hongkong might not have the chance in the future, so I understand where they're coming from.

8.18 is one of the peaceful protests. The police rejected it a few hours ago and render it "illegal".

Is this the one the authorities said could only take place in a park and not on the road?

If so, it doesn't seem unreasonable.