>>> hello. a very warm welcome to nhk "newsline." >>> we begin in hong kong where pro-democracy rallies were held to mark one year since mass protest. aside from a gap from the coronavirus, the demonstrations have continued unabated. several hundred people gathered in cre in central hong kong island. they called for independence from mainland china. >> it's my duty to be here. as we all know, this year is a really tough year. we must do our best to voice out to let the government know that we don't want this law. >> reporter: the protesters defied a government ban on meetin meetings of more than eight people, put in place to keep the coronavirus from spreading. police say 53 people were arrested on suspicion of attending unlawful gatherings. last year on june 9th people