Hong Kong lawyers held a silent march in support of anti-government protesters on Wednesday, highlighting the movement's enduring broad appeal despite increasingly ominous warnings from Beijing.

Hundreds of lawyers dressed in black marched under the scorching sun from the city's highest court to the justice secretary's office.

The rally came as daily demonstrations have become increasingly violent and China ramped up its warnings to protesters, saying on Tuesday that "those who play with fire will perish by it".

The legal professionals -- who usually eschew demonstrations -- have now marched twice since early June.

They are backing the protest movement's demand for an independent inquiry into law enforcement tactics but they also said they were marching against politically motivated prosecutions from the city's Department of Justice.

"I really dislike how this government uses scaremongering and divisive tactics," senior counsel Anita Yip told AFP.

"They carry out prosecutions selectively... How would people still have confidence in the government?" she added, referring to the perceived difference between how police have treated protesters and their opponents, pro-government thugs with suspected triad links.

Hong Kong police have arrested more than 500 protesters and charged dozens with rioting -- which carries a maximum 10 years in jail.

But they have so far only arrested 19 men for last month's attacks on democracy protesters that hospitalised 45 people -- and only on the less serious charge of unlawful assembly.

In a statement after the march, the city's Justice Department insisted it engaged in "objective and professional assessment" to determine which cases to prosecute.

"The DoJ will not handle the cases differently due to the political beliefs or background of the persons involved," the statement added.

- Blind eye -

Protesters accuse the police of using excessive violence against their movement and turning a blind eye to triad gangs -- accusations the force strongly denies.

They have also vowed to keep the movement going until their core demands are met, such as an independent inquiry into police tactics, a permanent withdrawal of the bill, amnesty for those arrested, and universal suffrage.

"Law enforcement is an important element in law. If law enforcement is done poorly, how can we tell others that Hong Kong has rule of law?" said 22-year-old law student Michelle Wong, who joined the march.

Tuesday march was a peaceful and now rare sight as Hong Kong buckles under increasingly violent clashes between protesters and police.

On Monday the city witnessed a rare general strike and the most widespread unrest in two months of demonstrations -- with police firing 800 rounds of tear gas in a single day at a dozen locations.

"It's very important to show that there can be peaceful and effective demonstrations," said 77-year-old lawyer Warwick Haldane.

"No one is going to throw anything, and I hope we're not going to get tear gassed or charged by anyone," he added.

Some expressed sympathy with the more hardcore protesters battling police.

One man, wearing a suit, donned the protest movement's signature goggles, mask and a construction helmet.

On the helmet he had written the words "Won't sever ties even in the event of a nuclear explosion" -- implying he would stand by the protesters no matter what.

Yip, the lawyer, said the broad consensus on the demand to set up an independent commission of inquiry should be respected as the city reels under its worst political crisis in decades with no exit ramp in sight.

"The only commonality appears to be holding a public inquiry. I know it may not be easy but (the government) needs to think about how to accomplish this," she said.

Hong Kong: a timeline of mounting protest
Hong Kong (AFP) Aug 7, 2019 - China's semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong has been rocked since April by increasingly violent protests that were sparked by a proposed extradition law and broadened into demands for democratic reform.

Here is a summary:

- Thousands on the streets -

On April 28 tens of thousands of people march peacefully against a local government bill that would allow, for the first time, extraditions to mainland China.

It is one of the biggest protests in the city in recent years.

There are fears the law will tighten Beijing's grip on civil society and allow it to pursue its political enemies in Hong Kong. The march ends without violence.

- Violence erupts -

Despite government tweaks to soften the law, tens of thousands more protest again on June 9, with brief clashes breaking out at the very end of the day.

Organisers say more than one million people join the largely peaceful demonstration, the biggest since the 1997 handover of the former British colony to China.

It descends into violence after midnight when police, using batons and pepper spray hoses, try to disperse small groups of protesters who hurl bottles and use metal barricades.

The police put the march turnout at 240,000 and make 19 arrests.

- More clashes -

On June 12 huge crowds block major roads and attempt to storm parliament, delaying the bill's second reading.

Police use tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and bean-bag rounds in the worst clashes since the handover. Nearly 80 people are injured.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam postpones the bill on June 15 but a fresh demonstration the next day calls for its full withdrawal.

Organisers say two million people take part. Police put the figure at 338,000.

- Parliament ransacked -

In the early hours of July 1, just ahead of an annual march to mark Hong Kong's return to China, young masked protesters take over key roads, sparking new clashes with police.

Later in the day hundreds smash their way into parliament and ransack the building, daubing its walls with anti-government graffiti. It takes police several hours to regain control.

On July 9 Lam says the extradition bill "is dead" but protesters dismiss her comments.

- Demonstrators attacked -

On July 21 protesters are back on the streets and police fire tear gas and rubber bullets. In the Yuen Long area, masked men -- suspected to be triad gangsters -- attack protesters inside a train station.

On July 28 there are running battles between police and pro-democracy protesters close to Beijing's office in Hong Kong. Security forces launch volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets.

There are clashes outside a police station in Kwai Chung district on July 30 after 44 protesters are charged with rioting.

- Unrest spreads -

On August 3 demonstrators erect barricades in the tourist district of Tsim Sha Tsui. Riot police use tear gas.

The next day they fire tear gas again in the luxury shopping district of Causeway Bay, where thousands of protesters have seized roads and put up barricades.

On August 5 there is a city-wide strike and activists disrupt the subway system, paralysing much of the city and delaying scores of international flights.

For a third consecutive night, police confront hardcore protesters. The clashes are the most widespread so far, breaking out at more than a dozen locations.

Police say 148 people were arrested, the largest daily number since the protests kicked off.

On August 6 China warns that "those who play with fire will perish by it".

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China warns Hong Kong protesters of 'dangerous abyss'
Beijing (AFP) Aug 6, 2019
China warned Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters Tuesday that "those who play with fire will perish by it", a day after the most widespread unrest of the two-month crisis. In its harshest warning yet, Beijing said the immense strength of the central government should not be underestimated, while police in the semi-autonomous city announced they had arrested almost 150 people in connection with Monday's violence. The global financial center has been plunged into chaos by weeks of protests trigge ... read more