Hong Kong Legislators Walked Out To Halt Pro-Freedom Lawmakers Swear-in

Pro-Beijing lawmakers staged a walk-out to prevent a pair of newly elected Pro-Independence legislators to swear-in-oath.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, is now governed by China under the “One Country, Two Systems” principle since 1977.

Earlier this week, the government failed unprecedented legal attempts to stop the two legislators swear-in.

The Pro-Beijing lawmakers marched out of the legislative chamber, depriving the chamber of the quorum needed to continue.

Now it is unclear on when the two legislators would be able to swear-in office.

“In an unprecedented move, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive CY Leung has intervened in this whole process. He’s trying to get two of the pro-democracy candidates disqualified from parliament,” reported by Al Jazeera’s Sarah Clarke, reporting from Hong Kong’s Legislative Council.

“Leung’s case is being mounted on the grounds that he believes last week’s oath-taking was invalid and disrespectful to Hong Kong’s basic law.”

The government has raised the concern to the High Court, challenging the decision of the legislative body to allow Baggio Leung, 30, and Yau Wai-ching, 25, to retake their oaths.

Yau and Leung incited fury after the pro-Beijing establishment and other legislative officials disallowed their oaths last week.

Then the two displayed a banner saying “Hong Kong is not China”, while pledging allegiance to the “Hong Kong Nation”. They used derogatory language some legislator portrayed offensive.

The two newly elected legislators are determined to force the issue of self-determination and independence onto the mainstream political agenda.

The government’s request for a judicial review is scheduled to take place on November 3.

‘Traitors’ and ‘Dogs’

Hundreds of pro-Beijing protesters occupied the grounds of the chamber. Some carried placards of the two dressed in Japanese Army Uniforms, branding them as “traitors” and “dogs”. A number chanted that the pair should resign to defend China’s “dignity.”

The judicial review set on November will be a test to see if the rule of law and the separation of government and the legislative body are present in the self-governing global financial hub.

The post Hong Kong Legislators Walked Out To Halt Pro-Freedom Lawmakers Swear-in appeared first on Newsline.