Express Rail Rivals Demonstrate Outside Legco

Rival groups for and against the express rail station plans demonstrated outside the Legislative Council complex on Thursday evening after the controversial bill entered the last stage of the legislative process.

Some 30 members of the Beijing-friendly group, Defend Hong Kong, conducted a mock ritual of putting a curse on their enemies, using pictures of some pro-democracy figures, including Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan and Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai.

The protesters branded the pan-democrats as villains, accusing them of demonising the mainland-Hong Kong high-speed rail.

Around a dozen members from the Treasure Group also staged a protest outside Legco, calling for the passage of the bill. They said they would stay outside Legco until the bill was passed.

A rival group of people who are opposed to the bill gathered in an area outside the complex and police kept the two side apart using barricades.

An alliance of groups against the bill, the Co-location Concern Group, had called last week for supporters to gather outside Legco to register their protest.