It's the eighth weekend in a row that young Hong Kong protesters will take to the city's streets after a proposed extradition bill sparked deep concerns in the Chinese territory.

Key points: Thousands are expected to rally today at the site where suspected triad members attacked protesters last week

Thousands are expected to rally today at the site where suspected triad members attacked protesters last week The bill that sparked the Hong Kong protests has been declared "dead" but protesters want Ms Lam to step down

The bill that sparked the Hong Kong protests has been declared "dead" but protesters want Ms Lam to step down Beijing has warned China's army could intervene to quell violence

Organisers anticipate thousands will today march to Yuen Long subway station in north-west Hong Kong — the site where last weekend club-wielding thugs thought to be members of triad criminal gangs attacked pro-democracy protesters.

On Thursday, Hong Kong police rejected an application submitted by Yuen Long local Max Chung to hold a protest, arguing they did not have the manpower to ensure people's safety.

They added that a clash between protesters and local residents was likely if the demonstration went ahead.

Mr Chung told the ABC activists were wary of organising a protest in Yuen Long before last Sunday because of the area's reputation for being a triad stronghold.

But now the demonstrators want to flock there to demand justice, even if they are breaking the law.

"We are having it here … because of the terrorist attack [assaults against protesters] on July 21," Mr Chung said.

"Many people have told me about the potential danger and we have included precautionary measures in our plan."

While the mass protests were initially in opposition to the now-shelved bill for an extradition deal with China — an arrangement people feared would allow Beijing to silence dissidents — it has since evolved to express a general dissatisfaction over China's policies in Hong Kong.

Carrie Lam says the bill is 'dead'. Why are there still protests?

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 35 seconds 35 s White-shirt mob brutally attacks anti-government protestors and civilians

Protesters say their message is spreading, with displays of dissent in Admiralty in the business district on Hong Kong island, to Kowloon, and now in the New Territories.

Dissatisfaction with the semi-autonomous region's Government and local police has also grown among many young people.

Although Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam declared the extradition law "dead" earlier this month, protesters have vowed to carry on.

They want the pro-Beijing leader to step down.

But there are no signs that Hong Kong's Government is willing to compromise and fully withdraw the bill.

Complicating matters, pro-police protests have taken place in recent weeks, led by mostly middle-aged and older Hongkongers incensed by constant disruptions caused by protests.

What do the protesters want?

Carrie Lam has said the Government does not condone violence. ( AP: Vincent Yu )

Pro-democracy group Civil Human Rights Front has issued five demands to Hong Kong's Government.

Theye are: full withdrawal of the extradition bill, retraction of the "riot" characterisation of the protests which criminalises demonstators' activities, the release of all protesters who have been arrested, investigation of and accountability for police brutality, and Ms Lam's resignation.

"All they've been doing is playing with words," Mr Chung said.

"They [the Government] did respond, but it's like adding oil onto water. It only fuelled up the rage. That's how things are in the age of the internet.

"If they withdraw it [the bill] from the very beginning, it would have been over."

He said the ongoing tensions were taking a toll on young people's mental health.

According to local media, four young people have taken their own lives, leaving notes that linked their distress to the Hong Kong protests.

"People [pro-democracy campaigners] feel like what American people felt after September 11," Mr Chung said.

"It's almost like they had PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder]."

Is Beijing going to intervene?

The People's Liberation Army has had a presence in Hong Kong since the city's return to Chinese sovereignty. ( Reuters, file photo )

On the same day as the incident at Yuen Long station, protesters defaced China's national emblem at Beijing's administrative headquarters in Hong Kong.

In the eyes of Beijing, the anti-extradition bill movement is "striking against the root of Hong Kong's rule of law".

Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China's Foreign Ministry, said in a press conference on Wednesday it was "not fair" to focus on triad violence at Yuen Long while ignoring alleged "violent crime" of pro-democracy protesters.

On the same day, China's Defence Ministry adopted a harsher tone against the protesters by suggesting the People's Liberation Army would help to crack down on violence in Hong Kong if asked.

Sharing Beijing's stance that the suspension of the bill was the most the Government could offer, an editorial published in the pro-Beijing Hong Kong Newspaper Takongpao last month argued that implementing the protesters' demands would "bring disaster to Hong Kong".

Lo Chung-mau of Hong Kong University, a vocal pro-Beijing surgeon, declared during a pro-police rally on July 20 that Hong Kong was "sick" and violence was intolerable.

"Stop for a bit, give it deeper thought and check if you have done something wrong," Professor Lo said.

Why won't the protesters stop?

Protesters want the Government to retract characterisation of their activities as "riots". ( AP: Vincent Yu )

After last Sunday's triad incident in Yuen Long, observers say protesters are even less likely to back down.

"People taking part [in protests] clearly display outrage and dismay at police powers, as well as Carrie Lam's Government's rejection of the movement's demands for an independent investigation," Kenneth Chan, a political science professor at Hong Kong Baptist University, told the ABC.

He said nobody could predict how many people would attend today's rally, but "knowing Hong Kong people, I expected a huge turnout to protest against the Yuen Long rampage".

Concerned about the potential for violence, chairman of Yuen Long district council, Shum Ho-kit, suggested the Government and other parties should swallow their prejudices and engage in dialogue.

"It's not just our society being filled with anxiety, Hong Kong's economy is also suffering the consequences," Mr Shum wrote on his Facebook page on July 22.

"There are many people discussing online on how to get round the police ban and go ahead with the protest," he told the ABC.

He said people living in Yuen Long "feel frightened on any potential attack on their home, ancestral halls and even their family members".

Mr Chung, however, said he would not give up on his plans to protest.

"We can't legally attend the protest or invite others to attend," he said.

"But I myself will be at Yuen Long and will be there to help if anything bad happens."