HONG KONG: Outnumbered and with the rule book written against them, several Hong Kong lawmakers have embraced rotten plants, red bean cakes, bananas and a dizzying array of other objects for theatrical stunts inside the chamber.
In the latest event to infuriate the pro-Beijing majority, opposition lawmaker Ray Chan threw a foul-smelling fertiliser onto the green carpet of the Legislative Chamber on Thursday (Jun 4).
Advertisement
Advertisement
The incident occurred on the anniversary of the Tiananmen incident in China and Chan said the jar of brown liquid represented the "stink" of that tragedy.
But it also forced lawmakers to leave the chamber as his mess was cleaned up, delaying a vote on a Beijing-backed Bill to criminalise insulting China's national anthem that the opposition was destined to lose.
READ: Hong Kong legislature passes controversial China national anthem Bill
Those protesting against the Bill argue that such stunts – coupled with procedural delays like filibustering – are the only way to voice opposition inside a chamber deliberately weighted in favour of the city's pro-Beijing leaders.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Opponents condemn the actions, saying the disruptions paralyse the law making body. Tensions between the camps regularly boil over with fights and noisy shouting matches routine.
Legislative disruption was part of the justification Beijing gave last month when it announced plans to impose a sweeping national security law on the city that bypasses the legislature entirely, a move that has sparked alarm.
Security guards clean a four-smelling liquid which was thrown by a pro-democracy lawmaker during a debate on a law that bans insulting China's national anthem, in Hong Kong on Jun 4, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Isaac Lawrence)
Ahead of its 1997 handover to China by Britain, Hong Kong was promised certain liberties and autonomy for 50 years.
The Legislative Council was part of that deal but it was designed to ensure the city's pro-democracy opposition never held sway.
Only half of the chamber's 70 seats are elected.
The rest are chosen by "functional constituencies" – special interest groups representing industries, corporations, professions and community organisations that reliably vote for pro-Beijing candidates.
As a result, the minority of opposition lawmakers have long resorted to disruption and protests.
DORAEMON AND STUFFED TOYS
The national anthem law – which will punish insults to China's March of the Volunteers with up to three years in jail – is the latest Bill to spark chaos inside the legislature.
Protesting lawmakers used filibusters for months to stop it reaching the floor with fights between rival camps breaking out.
Last week a lawmaker threw a rotten plant at the legislature's president in protest.
READ: Explainer – Hong Kong's China national anthem Bill aims to legislate 'respect'
READ: China warns Britain interfering in Hong Kong will 'backfire'
Another object thrown by opposition lawmakers in the past is "dorayaki", a Japanese cake made with red bean.
The popular Japanese cartoon character Doraemon uses the cakes to get people to tell the truth. As a result Hong Kong lawmakers use dorayaki as a way to accuse their rivals of lying.
Pro-democracy legislators aRead More – Source
HONG KONG: Outnumbered and with the rule book written against them, several Hong Kong lawmakers have embraced rotten plants, red bean cakes, bananas and a dizzying array of other objects for theatrical stunts inside the chamber.
In the latest event to infuriate the pro-Beijing majority, opposition lawmaker Ray Chan threw a foul-smelling fertiliser onto the green carpet of the Legislative Chamber on Thursday (Jun 4).
Advertisement
Advertisement
The incident occurred on the anniversary of the Tiananmen incident in China and Chan said the jar of brown liquid represented the "stink" of that tragedy.
But it also forced lawmakers to leave the chamber as his mess was cleaned up, delaying a vote on a Beijing-backed Bill to criminalise insulting China's national anthem that the opposition was destined to lose.
READ: Hong Kong legislature passes controversial China national anthem Bill
Those protesting against the Bill argue that such stunts – coupled with procedural delays like filibustering – are the only way to voice opposition inside a chamber deliberately weighted in favour of the city's pro-Beijing leaders.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Opponents condemn the actions, saying the disruptions paralyse the law making body. Tensions between the camps regularly boil over with fights and noisy shouting matches routine.
Legislative disruption was part of the justification Beijing gave last month when it announced plans to impose a sweeping national security law on the city that bypasses the legislature entirely, a move that has sparked alarm.
Security guards clean a four-smelling liquid which was thrown by a pro-democracy lawmaker during a debate on a law that bans insulting China's national anthem, in Hong Kong on Jun 4, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Isaac Lawrence)
Ahead of its 1997 handover to China by Britain, Hong Kong was promised certain liberties and autonomy for 50 years.
The Legislative Council was part of that deal but it was designed to ensure the city's pro-democracy opposition never held sway.
Only half of the chamber's 70 seats are elected.
The rest are chosen by "functional constituencies" – special interest groups representing industries, corporations, professions and community organisations that reliably vote for pro-Beijing candidates.
As a result, the minority of opposition lawmakers have long resorted to disruption and protests.
DORAEMON AND STUFFED TOYS
The national anthem law – which will punish insults to China's March of the Volunteers with up to three years in jail – is the latest Bill to spark chaos inside the legislature.
Protesting lawmakers used filibusters for months to stop it reaching the floor with fights between rival camps breaking out.
Last week a lawmaker threw a rotten plant at the legislature's president in protest.
READ: Explainer – Hong Kong's China national anthem Bill aims to legislate 'respect'
READ: China warns Britain interfering in Hong Kong will 'backfire'
Another object thrown by opposition lawmakers in the past is "dorayaki", a Japanese cake made with red bean.
The popular Japanese cartoon character Doraemon uses the cakes to get people to tell the truth. As a result Hong Kong lawmakers use dorayaki as a way to accuse their rivals of lying.
Pro-democracy legislators aRead More – Source
