
Police in Hong Kong armed with riot shields and batons charged at protesters who had marched to a high-speed railway station to demonstrate against a new law that would allow citizens to be deported to mainland China.

The large crowds had gathered outside the West Kowloon station, which connects Hong Kong to the mainland Chinese region of Guanddong, to target tourists and inform them of their struggle..

Shocking photos show police in riot gear tackling protesters to the ground amid mass demonstrations in the city.

Demonstrators marched through a high-end shopping centre popular with Chinese tourists, brandishing placards which read 'Stay Strong Hong Kong' and shouting into mega phones.

Large crowds were seen gathering outside the West Kowloon station which connects to Shenzen, the city in mainland China that borders Hong Kong, and other destinations in the mainland. Shocking photos show police in riot gear tackle protesters to the ground amid mass demonstration in the city

Police arrest protesters during a clash in the Mong Kok district in Kowloon after a march to the West Kowloon rail station in Hong Kong

Police in Hong Kong have charged at protesters who marched to a high-speed railway station in order to get their message across to those visiting from mainland China

Protesters carry umbrellas to protect themselves as they face the police in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong during anti-government protests

A woman is detained by riot police in Hong Kong after a day of protests over a controversial extradition bill planned by officials

Police barricaded the main entrance to the station in order to stop protesters gaining access, while only passengers with pre-booked reservations were being let into the station this afternoon.

Protesters used umbrellas to defend themselves from the charge in the district of Mongkok, the region of Hong Kong attached to mainland China.

Police using loudhailers had called for a group of some 300 mostly young, masked protesters to leave.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the charge by officers but the renewed scenes of chaos on the city's streets marred a day that witnessed another huge, peaceful anti-government protest.

Hong Kong has been rocked by a month of huge marches as well as a series of separate violent confrontations with police, sparked by a law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.

The bill has since been postponed in response to the intense backlash but that has done little to quell public anger, which has evolved into a wider movement calling for democratic reforms and a halt to sliding freedoms in the semi-autonomous city.

Multiple protesters detained by police on Sunday after the fracas, their wrists bound with plastic handcuffs.

Tens of thousands of people, many wearing black shirts and some carrying British colonial-era flags, marched in Hong Kong on Sunday

Riot police officers stand guard as they block the street during the demonstration against the controversial new bill

Police arrest protesters during a clash in the Mong Kok district in Kowloon after a march to the West Kowloon rail terminus

Police using loudhailers had called for a group of some 300 mostly young, masked protesters to leave the demonstrations

It was not immediately clear what prompted the charge by officers but the renewed scenes of chaos on the city's streets marred a day that witnessed another huge, peaceful anti-government protest

Riot police officers try to disperse anti-extradition bill protesters during a demonstration in Mong Kok area in Hong Kong

A police officer raises a truncheon during a tense face-off with protesters in Hong Kong, who were hoping to make visitors from the mainland understand their message

Police have been accused of miscounting the number of protesters present, with footage showing them handling protesters roughly

The crowds responded with chants of 'release the people' and 'black cops' - a pun on the phrase 'black societies' which is used to describe triad gangs.

Local media reported that ticket sales had also been suspended for afternoon trains, as many tried to get their message out to those living in mainland China, with protesters saying coverage had been focused on the damaged caused earlier in the month.

This is while the organisers said the turnout had been larger than expected as crowds met at Salisbury Garden, with the march kicking off at around 3.30pm local time.

As the protests continued today activist Joshua Wong, who was arrested last week, confronted officers who were patrolling their barriers.

Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong is held by a policeman as he confronts officers as the protests continued to the evening

Anti-extradition bill protesters march to West Kowloon Express Rail Link Station at Hong Kong's tourism district earlier today

People branded posters which read 'Stay Strong Hong Kong' and one man was wearing a T-shirt with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt which read: 'Believe you can and you're halfway there'

One demonstrator was pictured shouting slogans during the march this afternoon and was also carrying a placard which read 'Hong Kong Independence'

Hong Kong police officers were pictured standing outside the station today as they prepared for those marching through the shopping centre

As many went about their day to day chores and shopping habits, protesters held up 'together we stand' posters as they tried to spread their message

Hong Kong has been riven by protests for the past month, sparked by proposed changes to the extradition laws that would have allowed suspects to be sent to the mainland to face trial.

The legislation, which the government has suspended indefinitely because of the protests, raised broader concerns about an erosion of freedoms and rights in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory in recent years.

Hong Kong was allowed to keep its own legal system for 50 years after Britain returned the then-colony to China in 1997, but many in the city fear that freedom of expression and other rights are under threat.

The high-speed rail station, which opened last September, was a source of contention, as passengers pass through Chinese immigration and customs inside. Some opposition politicians said the fact that Chinese law applies in the immigration area violates the agreement giving Hong Kong its own legal system.

The July 1 break-in at the legislature overshadowed a peaceful march the same day by hundreds of thousands of people also opposed to the extradition legislation.

One protester was seen trying to interact with police today as he held out his hands in prayer and tried to reason with him as officers blocked off the train station

The shot above shows the scale of the protests and just how many people turned out today as they marched to the high-speed rail station

Many were seen putting placards up and posters in the area and others filmed the action on their phones and took shots of the protests

Traffic seemed to have come to a standstill close to the station area and many marched through cars, taxis and buses that were trying to make there way

A demonstrator holding a yellow umbrella shouts slogans during a march to the West Kowloon railway station to protest against a proposed extradition bill in Hong Kong

Ahead of the march, protesters held a vigil last night for a Hong Kong woman who fell to her death this week, one of three apparent suicides linked to ongoing protests over fears that freedoms are being eroded in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

Before falling from a shopping mall on June 30, the 29-year-old woman left a message on Facebook that wished for the protesters' success but said she could not carry on, Hong Kong media have reported.

A 21-year old student had fallen to her death the previous day, as did a man after hanging a protest banner about two weeks earlier. The three deaths have raised concerns about the possibility of copycat suicides among other disaffected people.

The protesters say Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, has not shown empathy for the victims.

Matthew Cheung, the chief secretary for administration, said Friday that the government feels deeply sorry and saddened by the suicides and will do all it can to stop the trend.

A Hong Kong woman distributes newspapers with the headlines 'Millions against Communist China shock the world' in a shopping district popular with mainland Chinese tourists

Pictures show that the protesters go back for miles in the area and they brandish signs and chant slogans during the march