Security, Medics Carry Pan-dems Out Of Legco Meeting

Several pro-democracy legislators were dragged out of a Legco meeting by security guards and one was carried out by paramedics, as the council's two camps fought – quite literally – for control of the House Committee on Friday.

The chaos first erupted more than an hour before the meeting was even due to get underway, after the DAB's Starry Lee made a successful dash to grab the chairman seat.

She slid into the seat just as New People's Party leader Regina Ip got out of it, after a separate meeting came to an end.

Legco security guards had escorted Lee, and then surrounded the desk to bar pan-democrats from reaching her.

A standoff ensued, with pro-democracy lawmakers arguing with security staff.

Council Front's Ray Chan was busy moving chairs around at one point to try to build some kind of barricade, but security staff were thwarting his efforts.

Pro-Beijing legislator Junius Ho walked around waving a poster calling for the Civic Party's Dennis Kwok to be disqualified. The pan-dems whipped out their own banners accusing Lee of abusing her power.

Several councillors, meanwhile, were filming all the goings-on with their mobile phones.

After around an hour, Chu Hoi-dick began trying to climb up a wall to get to Lee, with security guards tugging at him in an almost farcical scene.

Scuffles broke out as Lee began her meeting, continuing to speak despite all the shouting, and pushing and shoving going on around her.

Chan was sent flying at one point, but he was soon up again, running around the room barefoot and charging security guards.

Video footage showed FTU lawmaker Kwok Wai-keung dragging Chan some distance through the conference room.

Above the din, Lee cited the Powers and Privileges Ordinance as she warned that anyone blocking or interfering with Legco meetings would be breaking the law.

She ordered one pan-dem after another out of the room, although they all ignored her.

Several guards dragged Chu, Chan, Ted Hui, Alvin Yeung and Jeremey Tam out of the room.

The Democratic Party's Andrew Wan, meanwhile, was lying on the floor apparently injured after also being ordered out.

After some time, Lee adjourned the meeting for five minutes so paramedics could attend to Wan, who was wheeled out on a stretcher.

A Legco legal adviser began speaking after the meeting resumed. But the pan-dems' shouting continued and the Democratic Party's Helena Wong became the latest from the camp to be carried out by security guards.

Party chairman Wu Chi-wai later suffered the same fate, and Lam Cheuk-ting and Roy Kwong were soon booted out as well.

Meanwhile, security guards were struggling to stop some of those ejected from forcing their way back in.

Labour Party lawmaker Fernando Cheung was also thrown out, and with other pan-dems having walked out themselves, by around 5pm only pro-establishment legislators remained as the meeting continued.

This meant Lee was able to conduct business that had been held up for more than six months, with the pro-Beijing lawmakers discussing papers and setting up bills committees.

Trouble had been feared ahead of the House Committee meeting, which Lee had earlier insisted she would chair, although Kwok had stated that he would be the one leading the proceedings.

Lee, last year's chairwoman of the committee, said the meeting was to discuss contradictory sets of legal advice regarding her power to take control over business.

Kwok had said the first order of business would be the election of a chairperson.

The prospect of two rival chairpersons and even two parallel meetings is reminiscent of a similar struggle early last year over control over a bills committee set up to look at the proposed new extradition laws which sparked Hong Kong's many months of unrest.

A bust-up back then had left lawmakers on both sides claiming to have been injured.

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