The Legislative Council’s meeting on Wednesday was suspended after Youngspiration lawmakers Yau Wai-ching and Baggio Leung Chung-hang forced their way into the chamber.
Legislative Council President Andrew Leung previously said that the duo were not allowed to retake the oath or attend any meetings until the conclusion of the government’s legal challenge on the oath dispute.
Despite Leung’s decision, the Youngspiration lawmakers insisted on retaking their oaths and stormed the chamber after independent localist Lau Siu-lai was successfully sworn in.
The LegCo president ordered the removal of the duo, citing the Rules and Procedures of the Legislative Council. Several pro-democracy lawmakers, including Nathan Law of the Demosistō party, tried to prevent security guards from taking Yau and Leung away.
The meeting was suspended amid the chaos. Andrew Leung then moved the meeting from the chamber to a conference room.
Yau insisted after the meeting that she read the entire oath in front of Leung, and that it did not matter whether Leung accepted her oath or not. “It is his responsibility to administer my oath,” she said. “I am a bit disappointed [about being kicked out].”
Pro-Beijing lawmaker Starry Lee criticised pro-democracy lawmakers for disrupting the meeting.
“If [Yau and Leung] really care about the oath-taking, they shouldn’t have used the platform to promote Hong Kong independence to begin with,” Lee said. “There is no room for the promotion of Hong Kong independence under the One Country, Two Systems framework.”
She added that the Youngspiration duo have not apologised and that they should not be allowed to participate in any meetings at the legislature.
