The month of November 2019 in the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests started with protesting in malls and police getting into homes and malls to arrest protesters. The death of Chow Tsz-lok in Sheung Tak, Tseung Kwan O had led to more protests. In mid November, there were city-wide strikes which lasted for more than a week. Hong Kong Police officers fired tear gas in Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), and nearby areas. In late November, the District Council elections were held. The pro-democracy camp in conjunction with the localist groups got more than 80 per cent of the seats and gained control of 17 out of 18 District Councils.
Events
1 November
More than 100 people staged a flash mob protest in Central despite being confronted by police officers who warned the group they risked being prosecuted. They carried a huge yellow banner calling for an end to "police brutality", as they occupied one side of the road.
2 November
Protests took place in Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Central and Tsim Sha Tsui on 2 November, each of which is described below:
Causeway Bay election rally
128 pro-democracy candidates organised election rallies on the central lawn of Victoria Park, although the police had earlier banned rallies at that location. The candidates argued that, according to Chapter 9.11 of the Guidelines on Election-related Activities in respect of the District Council Election, the police would not need to be informed if pre-election meetings consisted of fewer than 50 supporters. In the early afternoon, thousands of people entered Victoria Park. At 3:15 pm, the police declared that the people were participating in an illegal assembly and warned them to leave immediately. Most of the people ignored the police warning, and continued to walk to Victoria Park.
Subsequently, some protesters built road blocks nearby. In response, the police fired multiple rounds of tear gas into the Park. Tear gas was also fired outside Hong Kong Central Library and Sogo Hong Kong. After that, protesters left Causeway Bay for Tin Hau and Wan Chai. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd in Wan Chai. Some protesters set up road blocks in Wan Chai and vandalised the Queen's Road East branch of state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Central rally
Two rallies, to which the police did not object, took place in the afternoon at Edinburgh Place and Chater Garden in Central. Soon after both rallies had begun, the police ordered the organisers to end the rallies immediately at 5:10 pm and to ask all participants to leave by 5:30 pm. By evening violence in Causeway Bay had spread to Central: Protesters threw Molotov cocktails on Lung Wo Road, and set up barricades on Connaught Road Central, blocking traffic; Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters. A Yoshinoya branch was trashed, and Central MTR station was closed after protesters vandalised several exits. An argument started between a firefighter and police when the former accused police of hitting his firetruck with a tear gas projectile. Amidst the tension, the police pushed the firefighter, then pepper sprayed journalists filming the scene and pushed them away. A first-aider suffered severe back burns after reportedly being hit by a tear gas canister.
Tsim Sha Tsui rally
A rally at 4 pm in Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard, attended by a hundred participants sang protest songs. Some protesters shouted slogans and wore face masks. A large squad of riot police arrived at the rally from Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station. They threatened to arrest those on face masks and disperse the crowds. After quarrels with protesters, the police stood down and returned to the police station. This happened in November 2019.