Hundreds of protesters gathered in central Hong Kong on Tuesday to mark a year of sustained pro-democracy rallies as fears over looming national security legislation have reignited unrest in the global financial hub.

The demonstration defied a government ban on gatherings of more than eight people due to the coronavirus, as well as a heavy riot police presence on the streets, with officers repeatedly seen conducting searches on those passing through the area.

Earlier on Tuesday, protesters gathered in several shopping malls to chant pro-democracy slogans, dispersing peacefully after an hour.

Some protesters were holding placards that read, “We can’t breathe! Free HK” and “Young lives matter”, nods to U.S. protests against police brutality sparked by the death of black American George Floyd.

One of the demonstrators said, “I am scared but I need to protest against national security laws. It’s important to continue to fight for freedom”.

Last year on June 9, an estimated more than one million protesters took to the streets against proposed legislation to allow extraditions to mainland China, where the courts are controlled by the Communist Party.

The controversial China extradition bill was withdrawn in September 2019 but the movement has morphed into a wider campaign for greater democracy and against alleged police brutality.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam warned on Tuesday that the city, which has enjoyed a high degree of autonomy since returning to Chinese rule in 1997, cannot afford further “chaos.”

During a news conference, Lam said, “All of us can see the difficulty we have been through in the past year, and due to such serious situations we have more problems to deal with”.

“We need to learn from mistakes, I wish all lawmakers can learn from mistakes – that Hong Kong cannot bear such chaos”, she further added.

Last month, China proposed a national security law for Hong Kong in response to last year’s violent pro-democracy protests that plunged the city into its deepest turmoil since it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Earlier in the month, Lam accused the US government of double standards when addressing the pro-democratic protests that occurred in the Asian city and the current protests against racism across American.

In May, US President Donald Trump had ordered to start a process to finalize Hong Kong’s preferred trade status.

On Monday, almost 9,000 people, aged between 11 and 84, were arrested in protests over the past year, the police said, adding that more than 600 were charged with rioting.

More protests are planned in coming days and union leaders have said they intend to hold a referendum among their members on Sunday on whether to launch a city-wide strike.

(With inputs from agency)