Hong Kong pro-democracy opposition MPs resign en masse in protest at China ‘patriotism’ law

Beijing’s ruling allows Hong Kong government to remove legislators who are seen as advocating against Chinese sovereignty in the city

Pro-democracy politicians announce their resignation en masse from Hong Kong’s legislative council (Reuters)

Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition legislators have resigned en masse, party leaders said on Wednesday, in protest against a new resolution from Beijing that meant they could be fired for failing to show sufficient patriotism towards mainland China.  

The resignation by 19 opposition members of the 70-seat legislative council was announced at a news conference just a couple of hours after a move by Beijing to oust four prominent members of the pro-democracy camp.

The pro-democracy group’s convener, Wu Chi-wai, said they were resigning from their positions “because our partners, our colleagues have been disqualified by the central government's ruthless move”. 

“Although we are facing a lot of difficulties in the coming future for the fight of democracy, we will never, never give up,” said Mr Wu in a press conference, adding that the legislators would submit their resignation letters on Thursday.

Student activist and politician Joshua Wong wrote on Twitter in response to the resolution from Beijing: “Should arrest[s] follow, it would be a total war aiming at eradicating dissent.”

Chinese state media said the resolution, which allows action against legislators who promote or support the independence of Hong Kong, was passed by the standing committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC) on Wednesday.

It states that any Hong Kong lawmakers who refuse to accept China’s exercise of sovereignty over the city would be deemed as not fulfilling the requirement of swearing allegiance to the SAR (special administrative region).

Under the ruling, legislators will not be considered as meeting the loyalty requirement if they appeal to foreign forces to interfere with Hong Kong’s affairs or if their actions are considered to endanger national security, according to the Hong Kong Free Press.  

China’s state news agency Xinhua said the resolution was made following a request by Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam.  

The UK’s foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, condemned the earlier expulsion of four pro-democracy legislators, warning that it represents a "further assault" on the region’s autonomy and freedoms.

Mr Raab said in a statement: “China's decision to arbitrarily remove elected pro-democracy Hong Kong legislators from their positions represents a further assault on Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and freedoms under the UK-China Joint Declaration.

“This campaign to harass, stifle and disqualify democratic opposition tarnishes China’s international reputation and undermines Hong Kong’s long-term stability.”

The four opposition legislators who were disqualified after the ruling were Alvin Yeung, Kenneth Leung, Dennis Kwok and Kwok Ka-ki.  

Following their expulsion, Mr Kwok told media that the move was in “breach of the Basic Law" (Hong Kong’s mini-constitution) and their “rights to participate in public affairs”. He said that he would consult his team to ascertain the course of any future legal action. 

Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific regional director, Yamini Mishra, called it a “politically motivated attempt to legitimise repression of opposition legislators”. 

“Once again, Hong Kong has allowed its laws and its legislature to be bypassed as Beijing makes up the rules as it goes along. Bulldozing through arbitrary decisions via the Chinese government makes a mockery of the rule of law," she said.