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Hundreds Arrested in Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protest

Hong Kong police have arrested nearly 200 people after tens of thousands of residents joined a massive march to push for democracy.
Image: A protester is taken away by police officers after hundreds of protesters staged a peaceful sit-in overnight in Hong Kong
A protester, center, is taken away by police officers after hundreds of protesters staged a peaceful sit-in overnight on a street in the financial district in Hong Kong on Wednesday, July 2, 2014, following a huge rally to show their support for democratic reform and oppose Beijing's desire to have the final say on candidates for the chief executive's job.Vincent Yu / AP

Hong Kong police have arrested more than 500 people holding a sit-in a day after tens of thousands in the former British colony joined a massive march to push for democracy.

Anger at mainland China has never been greater after Beijing warned recently it holds the ultimate authority over the freewheeling capitalist enclave.

That's despite a mini-constitution that gives the city a high degree of autonomy until 2047.

Image: Demonstrators stage a sit-in overnight July 1 in Hong Kong
Demonstrators stage a sit-in overnight on July 1 in a street in Hong Kong after a pro-democracy rally seeking greater democracy.PHILIPPE LOPEZ / AFP - Getty Images

Police said 511 people were arrested Wednesday for unlawful assembly and preventing police from carrying out their duties. They were holding an overnight sit-in after the rally.

Police said 98,600 people joined Tuesday's rally at its peak, while organizers said 510,000 turned out, the highest estimates in a decade. Hong Kong University researchers put the number at between 154,000 and 172,000.

— The Associated Press