Hong Kong seethes one year on, but protesters on the back foot

Huge crowds flooded Hong Kong's streets a year ago, kicking off seven months of unrest. [AFP]

Hong Kong on Tuesday marks a year since pro-democracy protests erupted, as mass arrests, coronavirus bans on gatherings and a looming national security law keep a lid on any return to city-wide unrest.

Seven months of massive and often violent rallies kicked off on June 9 last year when as many as one million people took to the streets to oppose a bill allowing extraditions to mainland China.