Tens of thousands of students in Hong Kong boycott first day of school

HONG KONG, CHINA -- MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2019: On the first day of school, thousands of students rally for a class boycott assembly at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, in Hong Kong, on Sept. 2, 2019. The protests began in June with calls to drop a now-suspended extradition bill that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be sent to China to stand trial, then widened to include free elections for the city’s top leader and an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Students rally while boycotting classes at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on Sept. 2, 2019. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Sept. 2, 2019 7:10 PM PT

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High school students added gas masks, goggles and hard hats to their traditional uniforms, while university students crowded into a square at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Workers also participated in their own rally at a public park, braving strong winds and storm clouds as a typhoon threatened.

On the first day of classes, thousands of students rally while boycotting the Chinese University of Hong Kong on Sept. 2, 2019. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Students boycott classes at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on Sept. 2, 2019. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

A Hong Kong police officer warns people to step back as a protester is arrested outside the Mong Kok Police Station on Sept. 2, 2019. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

A passerby voices his support for the protesters as they rally outside the Mong Kok Police Station in Hong Kong on Sept. 2, 2019. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Protesters run from Hong Kong police officers in riot gear near the Mong Kok Police Station on Sept. 2, 2019. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Hong Kong police officers aim their weapons toward protesters near the Mong Kok Police Station on Sept. 2, 2019. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

A first aid volunteer helps an older woman walk as Hong Kong police officers arrest people after a protest outside the Mong Kok Police Station on Sept. 2, 2019. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Hong Kong elite police officers in riot gear chase down protesters after they disrupted traffic and businesses near the Mong Kok Police Station on Sept. 2, 2019. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Protesters fall back after being chased by Hong Kong police officers in riot gear near the Mong Kok Police Station on Sept. 2, 2019. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Holding their masks slightly open to allow their voices to be heard, protesters rally outside the Mong Kok Police Station on Sept. 2, 2019. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)