Thousands from Hong Kong’s LGBT community showed up at an annual pride rally on Saturday after police banned organisers’ application for a march for the first time since the parade was held in 2008. At Edinburgh Place in Central, a smaller crowd turned up for this year’s carnival-like event, with the theme “Equal Justice, Equal Rights”. The gathering calls for equal treatment and better protection for sexual minorities, including legislation on sexual orientation-based discrimination. Organisers said more than 6,500 people participated in the rally, but tensions from the ongoing anti-government movement and the anti-mask law contributed to a drop in attendance as those wishing to hide their identities would be deterred. Police put the turnout at 850.