Scuffles in Hong Kong at key vote for democrats
Supporters of pro-government candidate Vincent Cheng from Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, try to block a supporter of pro-democracy candidate Edward Yiu, during a Legislative Council by-election in Hong Kong, China March 11, 2018. Reuters.
Hong Kong's best-known young activists were heckled by Chinese nationalists in tense scenes Sunday as the city's pro-democracy camp tries to claw back lost seats in controversial by-elections.
Sunday's vote once more exposed the city's deep political divide and comes as China takes an increasingly tough line against any challenges to its sovereignty.
High-profile candidate Agnes Chow was barred from standing because her party promotes self-determination for the semi-autonomous city.
Soon after polls opened, several men and a woman heckled Chow as well as leading pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong and Nathan Law near a polling station where they were supporting pro-democracy candidate Au Nok-hin, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.
One of the men barged into Wong, who led mass demonstrations in 2014 calling for greater democratic freedoms.
"Traitors and running dogs!" a man repeatedly yelled - insults commonly used by Beijing loyalists against political opponents - while others hurled obscenities.
Wong told reporters that threats to freedoms in the city "prove that it's more necessary for us to vote".
Beijing has been incensed at the emergence of activists advocating independence and views calls for self-determination as part of a dangerous splittist push.
The vote comes on the day the Chinese Communist Party decided to give President Xi Jinping a mandate to rule for life, fuelling fears that Hong Kong's freedoms will come increasingly under threat.
The by-election was triggered after Beijing forced the disqualification of six rebel lawmakers who had swept to victory in citywide elections in 2016.
Some were former protest leaders, others openly advocated independence. All were ousted from their posts for inserting protests into their oaths of office.
Four of the six vacant seats are being contested Sunday.
Au said it was a "vote for justice" after stepping in to contest the Hong Kong Island seat after Agnes Chow was disallowed.
The seat was originally held by Law, also a 2014 protest leader, who was among the six thrown out of office.
But pro-establishment politician Judy Chan, standing against Au, said the vote was a chance for "the silent majority, who are tired of a politicised Hong Kong, who detest those who humiliate the country" to push out destabilising opponents.
