Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Hong Kong Wednesday, surrounding the city's Legislative Council in an effort to stop proposed legislation that would allow extraditions to mainland China.

Protesters were met with tear gas and rubber bullets as they expressed anger over China's growing influence and fear that liberties in the territory were eroding. The clashes followed earlier protests on Sunday, when more than 1 million people in Hong Kong took to the streets to protest the extradition law. And that massive demonstration came as local lawyers in the city expressed concern over the upcoming amendments to a law that predated Hong Kong's 1997 handover to China.

Last week, members of Hong Kong's legal profession, including barristers, solicitors, judges and law students, staged a silent march from the Court of Final Appeal, Hong Kong's top court, to the government's headquarters. Global law firms did not participate. Organisers of the march said an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people participated in the walkout. The police put the number at 880.