Hong Kong Legislature Descends Into Chaos as Lawmakers Brawl

By Staff, Agencies

Lawmakers in Hong Kong engaged in an apparent game of capture the flag, which quickly descended into a pushing, shoving and shouting match as a row over electing the chairman of a key committee intensified.

No sooner had an education panel meeting ended, at approximately 1:15pm local time, than chairwoman Starry Lee Wai-king leapt for the podium to seize control of proceedings, as shown in video from the chaotic scene.

She was flanked by allies and security guards as opposition lawmakers attempted to prevent her from reaching the podium, in bizarre scenes. Opposition lawmakers feverishly tried to prevent her from ascending the podium, with each side accusing the other of unlawfully attempting to seize control of the session.

The Beijing-aligned lawmakers have accused the opposition of “malicious” filibustering to prevent the passing of key bills, such as the National Anthem Bill, which defines how people must observe the Chinese anthem, ‘The March of the Volunteers.’