The Alliance claimed it had collected over 1.5 million signatures at the end of the campaign. Media and individuals, especially those support the pro-democracy camp, have questioned the credibility of the signature campaign. They have noted that no measures were put in place to prevent repeated signatures in the campaign, as people who sign will be asked for only the letter and first four digits of their HKID cards. According to some press reports, employees might have faced pressure to sign petition forms that were being circulated by department heads in some companies, including Town Gas, a major public utility. "Run for Peace and Democracy" before parade The Alliance held a 3.2-km "Run for Peace and Democracy" as a prelude to the Anti-"Occupy Central" Parade from Victoria Park to the Chater Road in Central. The Alliance had called for 10,000 people to take part in the fun run. On 17 August 2014, the organisers claimed 1,500 participants took part in the race, while the police estimated 880. Anti-"Occupy Central" parade Culminating their petition campaign, the Alliance held an anti-"Occupy Central" parade on 17 August 2014, where participants will be able to dedicate kapok flowers at Chater Garden or Statue Square to show their discontent towards the Occupy Central Movement, their desire for peace in Central as well as their support for universal suffrage. The alliance declared that over 320 organisations and groups had pledged to join the rallies, and they expected a turnout of 50,000 to 60,000. The Alliance initially claimed that 193,000 people took part in the parade, but it later changed the figure to 250,000, while the Hong Kong police set the figure at 111,800 and the University of Hong Kong Public Opinion Programme put the maximum number of participants at 88,000. Controversies After the rally, media reports claiming that the anti-Occupy Central movement engaged in "rent-a-protester" to boost numbers at the rally, surfaced. The Alliance and its allies were accused of offering people; cash, free-meals and pecuniary benefits in an attempt to boost the turnout at the Anti-Occupy Central Parade. The media reported that the groups had put on cross-border transport to bring in marchers and that as many as 20,000 people may have been bussed in from across the border. Robert Chow, the spokesman of the Alliance, responded that he saw nothing improper in distributing lunch boxes to groups joining the parade as a token of