In the summer of 2019, Hong Kong saw its largest protests ever. For months, people demonstrated against a Beijing-endorsed legislative proposal that would have allowed extraditions of accused criminals for trials in mainland China. Then Chief Executive Carrie Lam withdrew that bill in September, but the protests, which garnered international attention following reports of police brutality and excessive use of tear gas and rubber bullets, continued until the outbreak of COVID-19 in Hong Kong in early 2020.