If passed, the new legislation would allow the transfer of fugitives from Hong Kong to jurisdictions with which it has no extradition deal, including mainland China.

Organisers estimated the turnout to be between 2,500 and 3,000, but police said attendance peaked at 880.

Four Nordic chambers of commerce also jointly expressed concern that the bill had been “fast tracked without the thorough consultation and full legislative scrutiny that is customary for a piece of legislation of this nature”.

The city’s last colonial governor Chris Patten meanwhile urged the government to shelve the bill, arguing it would “strike a terrible blow” to Hong Kong’s rule of law.

Eoin Treacy's view

Any hope that Hong Kong will be allowed to host critics of the mainland’s administration are being quashed. The time when Hong Kong is completely subsumed within China is drawing progressively closer as the “one country, two systems” approach is abandoned.