Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam has formally withdrawn an extradition bill that sparked massive protests that have rocked the city since June.

The bill would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be sent to mainland China for trials.

While the protests started out as push-back against the bill, they have continued to grow in scope and intensity. The protests forced the closure of the city's airport earlier.

Demonstrators have been clashing with police as part of a widening pro-democratic movement. Lam says in a televised announcement that she will not be accepting other demands from protesters, including an inquiry into allegations of alleged police misconduct against protesters. She says that there is a police watchdog agency investigating the issue.

Christians in Hong Kong have also become increasingly involved in the protests. In August a group of Christian leaders released a statement saying that the government should be listening "to the strong demands of the public to withdraw the Bill of the proposed amendment to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance."