Hong Kong rebel lawmakers swore, shouted, banged drums and railed against “tyranny” on Wednesday when they took their oaths of office in the city’s parliament, as calls grow for a split from Beijing.
The chaotic first meeting of the new term of the legislative Council (legco) came after a citywide vote last month saw victories for several lawmakers advocating more autonomy or even independence for Hong Kong. The city is semi-autonomous under a “one country, two systems” deal sealed when Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997.
The arrangement protects Hong Kong’s freedoms for 50 years, but there are increasing concerns those liberties are disappearing as Beijing tightens its grip. lawmakers are required to recite a short oath in legco before they can officially take up their seats.
That oath declares repeatedly that Hong Kong is a “special administrative region” of China. Hong Kong