Scuffles break out in Hong Kong\'s legislature

Tempers boiled over in Hong Kong's Legislative Council on Saturday.

This violent brawl left one person in hospital.

Pro-democracy lawmakers scuffled with those loyal to Beijing, over legal amendments that would extend China's powers over the former British colony.

Hong Kong is trying to enact changes to its extradition law, that would allow people accused of a crime, including foreigners, to be extradited from the city to countries without formal extradition agreements, including mainland China.

Its opponents fear the law would erode rights and legal protections in the city - which is supposed to enjoy freedoms that were guaranteed when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

On Saturday, the pro-democracy lawmakers and the pro-Beijing majority tried to hold separate hearings on the bill.

But it ended in chaos.

The extradition bill is proving highly contentious, and has sparked protests around the city.

The U.S. weighed into the controversy this week - a congressional commission said the law could extend China's - quote - "coercive reach" and create serious risks for U.S. national security and economic interests in Hong Kong.

China rejected the report saying Hong Kong affairs were an internal matter.