Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong and another core member of a pro-democracy group were granted bail Friday after being charged with inciting people to join a protest in June, while authorities denied permission for a major march as they took what appears to be a harder line on this summer's protests.
The organizers of Saturday's march, the fifth anniversary of a decision by China against allowing fully democratic elections for the leader of Hong Kong, said they were calling it off after an appeals board denied permission.
It was unclear whether some protesters would still demonstrate on their own.
The police commander of Hong Kong island, Kwok Pak Chung, appealed to people to stay away from any non-authorized rallies, warning that those caught could face a five-year jail term.
He told a daily news conference that he was aware of social media messages urging people to take strolls or hold rallies in the name of religion.
Kwok urged the public to "make a clear break with all acts of violence and stay away from locations where violent clashes may take place."