Hong Kong´s pro-democracy politicians have resigned en masse amid a fresh crackdown by China, warning of the ‘death-knell for democracy’ in the region.
Fifteen of the city’s pro-democracy bloc announced their resignations Wednesday after four of their colleagues were sacked under a new law that disqualifies politicians who refuse to acknowledge China’s authority.
The move left Beijing furious, with a spokesman calling it an ‘open challenge’ and accusing the lawmakers of ‘provoking radical opposition… and foreign interference’.
‘If that was their hope… they have miscalculated,’ a Chinese spokesman said.
Some of the lawmakers attended parliament as it opened on Thursday, with one unfurling a banner in the lobby that said pro-Beijing city leader Carrie Lam ‘had brought disaster to Hong Kong and its people’.
All of Hong Kong´s pro-democracy politicians have resigned en masse, warning of a ‘death knell for democracy’ amid a fresh crackdown by China
Lawmakers unfurled banners accusing city leader Carrie Lam of ‘bringing disaster to Hong Kong and its people’ as they quit parliament
Lam, who was appointed by Beijing, has faced months of often-violent protests as she has overseen the expansion of Chinese power in Hong Kong and calls for her resignation
The legislators were expected to hand in their resignations later today.
Events were set in motion after Beijing passed a new law which forbids politicians in Hong Kong from promoting independence, refusing to acknowledge China’s authority, inviting foreign powers to intervene, or threatening national security.
China says the new laws are required to restore stability to a region that has been rocked by months of often-violent pro-democracy protests.
But lawmakers say it violates the ‘One County, Two Systems’ pact that guaranteed Hong Kong independence from Chinese law for 50 years after the British relinquished power in 1997.
As the new law passed, Chinese authorities moved to fire lawmakers Dennis Kwok and Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu, who had previously called on the US to sanction China over its crackdown on Hong Kong.
Kenneth Leung was also sacked, accused of indirectly supporting sanctions after travelling to the US and then attending a press conference about sanctions.
Kwok Ka-ki was fired for having a ‘purported intention’ to ask foreign powers to sanction Hong Kong, according to local reports.
That prompted 15 of their colleagues to hand in their resignations.
One of the lawmakers who resigned, Wu Chi-wai, said the sackings were the culmination of a ‘plot’ by Beijing to rob Hong Kong of its autonomy.
‘Today they get to the end of the story and tell the whole world that “one country, two systems” has come to an end,’ he said.
Despite the move, he vowed ‘we cannot give up’ even if ‘to get back democracy from the authoritative type of government, it takes a long time, maybe generations.’
Pro-Beijing lawmakers had already made up the majority in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, but will now make up the entirety of it.
The move will leave them free to pass laws beneficial to China, but also robs the council of much of its legitimacy – leaving it as little more than a rubberstamp parliament for authorities in Beijing.
The resignations were sparked after (pictured from left) Dennis Kwok, Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung were sacked for refusing to recognise China’s authority under new laws
Pro-democracy lawmakers announced their resignation Wednesday, before several of them turned up to parliament on Thursday to hand in their notice
Pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo Man-ching arrives at parliament carrying her letter of resignation along with an umbrella, which has become a symbol of resistance in Hong Kong
The resignations leave only pro-China lawmakers in Hong Kong’s parliament – leaving them free to pass laws that benefit Beijing, but robbing the council of much of its legitimacy
Wu Chi-wai, the leader of the pro-democracy camp, told reporters: ‘Today we will resign from our positions because our partners, our colleagues have been disqualified by the central government´s ruthless move.’
During the news conference, the lawmakers held hands and chanted, ‘Hong Kong add oil! Together we stand!’
The phrase ‘add oil’ is a direct translation of a Chinese expression of encouragement.
Lawmaker Claudia Mo told reporters: ‘This is an actual act by Beijing … to sound the death knell of Hong Kong´s democracy fight because they would think that, from now on, anyone they found to be politically incorrect or unpatriotic or are simply not likable to look at, they could just oust you using any means.’
The UK, US, Australia and Germany have all denounced the move by China.
Robert O’Brien, President Trump’s national security adviser, accused Beijing of trying to establish a ‘dictatorship’ in Hong Kong – saying that ‘one country, two systems’ has been reduced to little more than a ‘fig leaf’ covering its true intentions.
‘Disqualifying pro-democracy legislators from Hong Kong´s Legislative Council leaves no doubt that the Chinese Communist Party has flagrantly violated its international commitments under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and its promises to the people of Hong Kong,’ he said.
In recent months, Beijing has increasingly clamped down on Hong Kong, which it took back control of in 1997, despite promising at the time to leave the territory’s more open legal and economic systems intact for 50 years until 2047.
Beijing imposed a national security law in June that some have labelled draconian after anti-government protests rocked the city for months last year, and it has used it to crackdown on opposition voices.
In response, the U.S. levelled sanctions on several officials, including Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing leader, several Western countries have suspended their extradition treaties with the territory, and Australia and Britain offered Hong Kongers easier paths to settle in those countries.
Britain said on Wednesday that the decision to remove the lawmakers raises further concerns.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: ‘This campaign to harass, stifle and disqualify democratic opposition tarnishes China´s international reputation and undermines Hong Kong´s long-term stability.’
Beijing has rejected the criticism and lashed out at what it calls gross foreign interference in Chinese politics.
On Wednesday, Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, defended the lawmakers’ removal, telling reporters that legislators must act properly and that the city needs a body comprised of patriots.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (left) condemned the move by China, while US national security adviser Robert O’Brien (right) accused Beijing of trying to establish a ‘dictatorship’
‘We cannot allow members of the Legislative Council who have been judged in accordance with the law to be unable to fulfill the requirements and prerequisites for serving on the Legislative Council to continue to operate in the Legislative Council,’ Lam said.
Still, Lam said that the Legislature would not become a rubber-stamp body, and that diverse opinion is welcome.
‘In terms of legality and constitutionality, obviously, from our point of view, this is clearly in breach of the Basic Law and our rights to participate in public affairs, and a failure to observe due process,’ Kwok, one of the ousted lawmakers, told reporters, referring to Hong Kong´s mini-constitution.
Earlier in the year, the four lawmakers were barred from seeking reelection in a vote originally scheduled for September – but remained in their posts.
They were disqualified over their calls for foreign governments to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and Beijing.
The government eventually postponed the planned September election by a year, citing the coronavirus, but the pro-democracy camp criticized the move as an attempt to block them from taking a majority of seats in the Legislature – which was a possibility in the coming election.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that the disqualification was necessary to maintain rule of law and constitutional order in Hong Kong.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Wang said: ‘We firmly support the (Hong Kong) government in performing its duties in accordance with the Standing Committee´s decision.’