Tens of thousands march in the latest Hong Kong protest.

Hong Kong- In defiance of a police ban, tens of thousands of black-clad Hong Kong protesters packed into a park and have again flooded the streets of the Chinese territory for the eleventh straight week of anti-government demonstrations.

While only a rally at Victoria Park was permitted to proceed on Sunday, as police denied a permit for a 3.7-kilometer march to Hong Kong’s central business district, the rally quickly became a massive march as crowds spilled out into neighboring streets and moved west towards the original destination.

Even as tropical rain began pouring down, the protesters remained undeterred and were covered with a sea of colorful umbrellas as they jammed major thoroughfares.

To the beat of a stationary drummer, demonstrators inched through the cramped streets of a neighborhood called Wan Chai, while a person holding a microphone led a chant demanding the resignation of Hong Kong’s embattled chief executive: “Carrie Lam, step down!”

Protests were originally sparked by the proposal of a now-shelved extradition bill, which would have allowed for the extradition of suspects to mainland China for trial, but have broadened into a wider movement against Chinese interference in the semi-autonomous region.

When Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule from its previous British colonial overseer in 1997, a “one country, two systems” framework was established to protect its unique civil liberties and freedoms, unseen on the mainland.

Sunday’s march was organized by the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), the same group that drew millions of people to the streets in recent months.

Those demands include the complete retraction of the proposed extradition bill, universal suffrage to choose Hong Kong’s leaders and amnesty for all those arrested in connection with the protests.

Most of the demonstrations have begun peacefully but some have devolved into chaotic confrontations. Protesters have in recent weeks thrown bricks and projectiles at the police, who have used tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray and batons on protesters.

The peaceful marketing of Sunday’s protest – “Peaceful, Rational, Nonviolent” – is an effort to restore the image of the pro-democracy movement after a polarising airport protest this past week.

After a five-day airport occupation that forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights, a group of protesters on Tuesday night beat and tied up two mainland Chinese men.

The incident has tarnished the movement’s image and caused a public outcry.

The Chinese government has also ramped up its discourse, saying some protesters were exhibiting behavior akin to “terrorism” and circulating footage of a military build-up in the bordering mainland city of Shenzhen.

Protesters on Sunday were unwavering in their fury over the police’s use of force in recent months. Police said they had fired at least 1,800 rounds of tear gas and 160 rubber bullets since the protests began in June.

In a statement, a government spokesman “expressed regret” over Sunday’s rally, saying the government “fully supports the police in strictly enforcing the law and deeply appreciates police officers’ efforts in restoring public order and peace.”

Police said they had arrested more than 700 people since the mass demonstrations kicked off in early June.