Three former Hong Kong pro-democracy opposition MPs were arrested on Wednesday November 18 for their role in clashes that took place several months ago in the Legislative Council (LegCo), the local parliament, which was considering a test to penalize any insult to the Chinese anthem.
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Ted Hui, Ray Chan and Eddie Chu have reported on social networks of their arrest.
Police confirmed their arrest for "
contempt
" and for "
administering a noxious substance with the intention of injuring, harming or annoying
".
This charge refers to the fact that the trio had thrown on the green carpet of the room in June a rotten plant and a foul mixture of liquid fertilizer whose very strong odor had caused the session to be suspended.
The parliament of the semi-autonomous region was to pass a controversial text providing for three years in prison for anyone who commits an outrage against "
The March of the Volunteers
", the Chinese national anthem.
The bill was adopted soon after in another room of the LegCo.
Only half of the members of the LegCo are elected by universal suffrage, the others being appointed according to a convoluted system which almost certainly guarantees the majority for the block favorable to Beijing.
The Hong Kong Parliament is known for its heated exchanges which sometimes turn into a physical confrontation between rival camps.
Last week, it became a little more of a chamber for recording the decisions of the local executive - which is aligned with Beijing - when the latter ousted four opposition politicians, which led to the mass resignation of all the other pro-democracy deputies.
The question of representativeness and the electoral system is at the heart of popular movements of recent years in the theoretically semi-autonomous region.
After the immense mobilization of 2019, Beijing has embarked on a strong takeover of its turbulent territory.
Seven opposition members were arrested on November 1 for their involvement in other clashes that occurred in May in the Legislative Council (LegCo).
MM.
Chan and Chu were part of this group.
Beijing has warned that any protests in parliament could be prosecuted in the name of the drastic national security law imposed in June on Hong Kong.
This summer, the executive announced the one-year postponement of legislative elections scheduled for September, citing the threat of the coronavirus.
A pretext, according to the opposition, which counted on capitalizing during this election on its popularity acquired during the 2019 demonstrations.
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