HONG KONG (AP) — High school students have thronged a square in downtown Hong Kong to rally for political reforms as residents gird for further anti-government protests.

Hundreds of teenagers, wearing black and holding umbrellas in the oppressive heat, turned out Thursday afternoon for the event, one of many demonstrations organized by different groups over the coming weeks.

Hong Kong has been gripped for more than two months by at times violent protests led by young people demanding the withdrawal of a China extradition bill and full democracy.

On Friday, the movement's supporters plan to form human chains across the Chinese city, inspired by a similar event 30 years ago in the Baltic states when hundreds of thousands of Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians joined together to mourn the loss of independence to Soviet rule.