Clashes erupt in Hong Kong legislature as pro-democracy activists charged

Hong Kong's political crisis returned to centre stage on Monday as clashes erupted in the legislature and a group of prominent pro-democracy activists were charged for taking part in last year's protests.

Four months of calm imposed by mass arrests and the coronavirus pandemic has unravelled in recent weeks as tensions soar in a city still marbled by divisions.

Among those in court on Monday to hear formal charges were 72-year-old media tycoon Jimmy Lai, founder of anti-establishment newspaper Apple Daily, and Martin Lee, an octogenarian former barrister who helped write the city's constitution.

The group of 15 also includes former lawmakers Margaret Ng, Albert Ho, Leung Kwok-hung, Au Nok-hin and current lawmaker Leung Yiu-chung.

They were charged with organising and taking part in unlawful assemblies last summer. Five face a more serious charge of incitement, which carries up to five years in jail.

All were bailed and some used the appearance to criticise the government.

Asked by a judge if he understood the charges, social activist Raphael Wong shouted: "I understand this is a political prosecution."

The arrests have sparked criticism from Britain, the European Union and the UN's human rights body - the latter saying that non-violent activists should not be prosecuted for attending unsanctioned rallies.

Hong Kong's government says police are following the law while Beijing has praised the prosecutions.

The charges came on another day of chaos inside the city's House Committee, a body that helps scrutinise bills, with protesting pro-democracy lawmakers dragged from the chamber by security guards and scuffles between rival camps.

It is the second time in a fortnight that clashes have broken out as pro-democracy supporters try to scupper a law that bans insulting China's national anthem.

The committee has been without a leader since October, meaning no bills have made it to the legislature for a vote, including the national anthem bill.

Pro-democracy lawmakers have used filibustering to stop voting for a new chair.

But on Monday, the pro-Beijing camp installed its own committee chair, armed with external legal opinion saying they had the power to end the deadlock.

The pro-democracy camp said the move was a coup, citing the legal opinion of the legislature's own lawyers.

Under a deal agreed with Britain before the city's return to China, Hong Kong has a partially-elected legislature, and freedoms unseen on the authoritarian mainland, until 2047.

Calls for greater democracy have snowballed in recent years as fears rise that Beijing is prematurely eroding Hong Kong's freedoms.