Hong Kong police have fired tear gas and swung batons at protesters who defied authorities' warnings not to march in a neighbourhood where a mob apparently targeting demonstrators brutally attacked people in a train station.
Protesters wearing black streamed through Yuen Long, even though police refused to grant permission for the march, citing risks of confrontations between demonstrators and local residents.
For the protesters, it was a show of defiance against the white-clad assailants who beat dozens of people last Sunday night, including some demonstrators heading home after the latest mass protest in the Chinese territory's summer-long pro-democracy movement.
Some of those attacked included demonstrators heading home after the latest mass protest in the Chinese territory's summer-long pro-democracy movement.
Police said some of the attackers at the train station were connected to triad gangs and others were villagers who live in the area.
Demonstrators accused law enforcement of not acting quickly enough to protect the victims and even colluding with the mob, an allegation that police have firmly denied.
The streets of Yuen Long became a sea of umbrellas as the march began Saturday afternoon.
A symbol going back to the Occupy Central protests that shook Hong Kong in 2014, umbrellas have become tools to help protesters conceal their identities from police cameras as well as shields against tear gas and pepper spray.
Some also wore masks to obscure their faces.
"Hong Kong police know the law and break the law," protesters chanted as they made their way through the streets.
Riot police fire tear gas during a mass rally in Yuen Long, New Territories, Hong Kong, China. Source: AAP
One organiser, Max Chung Kin-ping, said there were 288,000 participants.
The police had yet to release their turnout figure, which is generally lower than organisers' estimates.
Less than three hours after the start of the march, police fired tear gas to try to disperse crowds that had ignored authorities' appeals to leave the area.
Less than three hours after the start of the march, police fired tear gas to try to disperse crowds that had ignored authorities' appeals to leave the area.
Police said in a statement they were clearing out the protesters, who were "holding iron poles, self-made shields and even removing fences from roads".
Some protesters also endangered police officers' lives by surrounding and vandalising an occupied police vehicle, the statement added.
As the demonstration rolled into the evening, officers in riot gear faced off with protesters using wooden sheets as shields.
Live footage from broadcaster RTHK showed protesters on one street forcing back riot police by throwing umbrellas and waving rods at them.
On another street, officers repeatedly raised warnings and fired tear gas at masked demonstrators who were standing their ground.
Soon afterwards, many of the protesters dispersed, but others stayed put.
A group of officers appeared with batons and held up banners that read, "Stop charging or we use force". At least one woman was knocked down when police used the rods.
Massive demonstrations began in Hong Kong in early June against an extradition bill that would have allowed suspects to face trial in mainland China, where critics say their rights would be compromised.
The bill was eventually suspended, but protesters' demands have grown to include direct elections, the dissolution of the current legislature and an investigation into alleged police brutality.
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