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The Civil Human Rights Front an alliance of groups from political parties to student protesters says Monday that it will organize a march on February 1 through the city center

File photo by Alex Hofford/EPA

HONG KONG A pro-democracy group on Monday, January 12, announced plans for the first major street rally in Hong Kong since more than two months of mass protests ended, with organizers expecting 50,000 to turn out.

Tension remains high in the former British colony after rallies for free leadership elections blocked some of the city's major thoroughfares, ending in December when protest camps were cleared.

The Civil Human Rights Front an alliance of groups from political parties to student protesters said Monday that it would organize a march on February 1 through the city center. The group coordinates regular mass protest marches in Hong Kong, usually held on January 1 and July 1, which have seen estimated crowds of up to half a million.

"Although police have cleared all occupied areas, the road to real universal suffrage in Hong Kong through civil disobedience hasn't come to the end," said Daisy Chan, convenor of the group.

Chan was joined by pro-democracy lawmakers and other protesters to announce the rally to reporters at the city's de facto parliament.

The demonstration will end before midnight and Chan said she could not predict whether protesters would re-occupy the streets afterwards but would "respect" their decision to do so.

Beijing will allow residents to vote for their own leader for the first time in 2017, but insists all candidates are to be vetted by a committee which campaigners say will be dominated by pro-Beijing stooges.

Lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan, of the pro-democracy Labour Party, said: "We hope to see the rally as the start of another round of major disobedience."

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Hong Kong campaigners announce major democracy rally