Three pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong have been arrested for throwing foul-smelling liquid during a protest of a bill in the city’s legislature this past summer, according to Reuters.
Hong Kong police said activists Ted Hui, Ray Chan and Chu Hoi-dick have been charged with “attempting to use harmful substances with the intent to cause harm, mental injury or irritation to others” after an investigation, Reuters reported Tuesday.
The three lawmakers confirmed their arrests on Facebook. Live footage of a June debate in the city legislature over a bill that would criminalize disrespect of China’s national anthem shows Eddie Chu and Ray Chan splashing a “reeking fluid” towards the front of the chamber. Ted Hui brought a rotten plant to a May meeting at the legislature, Reuters reported. (RELATED: All Of Hong Kong’s Pro-Democracy Lawmakers To Resign)
The arrests come a week after all 15 of Hong Kong’s opposition leaders resigned in response to China allowing local leaders to unseat politicians without going through the court system, the South China Morning Post reported. (RELATED: New York Times Publishes Pro-Beijing Official’s Op-Ed Praising Crackdown On Hong Kong Protesters)
Hong Kong was reunited with China in 1997 after being a British colony for over a century with the agreement that it would be run as “one country, two systems” in relation to the mainland. Protests in the city have escalated in the past year as the ruling Chinese Communist Party has attempted to increase its control over the area.