World Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers arrested as tensions soar

© Anthony WALLACE Mourners pay their respects at the site where a student fell to his death during a recent protest

Hong Kong police said Saturday they have arrested three pro-democracy lawmakers over a brawl in parliament, deepening the city's crisis a day after the death of a student sent tensions soaring.

The international finance hub has been upended by five months of huge and increasingly violent pro-democracy protests but Beijing has refused to give in to most of the movement's demands.

With the city bracing for a 24th consecutive weekend of rallies, police brought charges against three key pro-democracy lawmakers while four other lawmakers said they had been ordered to attend a police station later Saturday to be booked. 

Hong Kong Protesters Call for U.S. Help. China Sees a Conspiracy.

The Hong Kong protests at times seem like love fests with the United States. The United States represents democracy, and the activists hope that maybe, just maybe, it will save Hong Kong. Five months in, they are trying harder than ever to draw the United States into their movement.

The entirety of Hong Kong 's elected pro - democracy opposition announced its intention to resign Wednesday in protest over the expulsion of four lawmakers , after Beijing passed a resolution giving local authorities broad new powers to quash dissent.

HONG KONG (AFP) - Hong Kong police said Saturday (Nov 9) they have arrested three pro - democracy lawmakers over a brawl in parliament, deepening the city's crisis a day after the death of a student sent tensions soaring .

They face up to a year in jail if convicted. 

The charges relate to chaotic scenes that broke out within a legislative committee in May as pro-democracy lawmakers tried to stop a controversial bill being discussed that would allow extraditions to authoritarian mainland China. 

At the time, city leader Carrie Lam was fast-tracking the bill through the legislature, a move that went on to ignite record-breaking street protests in which millions marched.

"The protests that have been going on for five months are yet to finish but the government is already launching massive arrests of pro-democracy legislators in collaboration with the police," the lawmakers said in a joint statement. 

- 'Right here waiting' - 

Xi meets Lam in 'vote of confidence' over Hong Kong protests

Chinese President Xi Jinping's surprise meeting with Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam was a "vote of confidence" in her government's ability to tackle five months of anti-government protests that have rocked the semi-autonomous Chinese territory, a senior official said Tuesday. Xi met Lam on the sidelines of a trade event in Shanghai on Monday night amid signals from China's central government that it may tighten its grip on Hong Kong to quell the unrest that has at times challenged Chinese rule.

HONG KONG — More than a dozen leading pro - democracy activists and former lawmakers in Hong Kong were arrested on Saturday in connection with the protests that raged in the city last year, the biggest roundup of prominent opposition figures in recent memory. The arrests signaled a broader

Seven pro - democracy lawmakers were either detained or faced arrest in Hong Kong on Saturday and The latest arrests are likely to further raise tensions between authorities and protesters, coming a day Pro-Beijing lawmakers are bracing for heavy defeats in this month's district council elections.

One of the lawmakers said he would refuse to turn himself in.  

"If you are accusing me of violating laws in the Legislative Council, come here and arrest me. I will be right here waiting," Lam Cheuk-ting told reporters at a joint press conference.

Hong Kong's legislature is quasi-democratic, with half the seats popularly elected and the rest chosen by largely pro-Beijing committees, ensuring the chamber remains stacked with government loyalists.

Opposition to the government comes in the form of a small band of pro-democracy lawmakers who win their seats in local elections.

The lack of fully free elections -- and especially the fact that the city's leader is appointed by a pro-Beijing committee -- has fuelled years of protests that have culminated in the latest unrest.

The tinderbox atmosphere intensified on Friday after 22-year-old student Alex Chow died from a fall during recent clashes with police.

Hong Kong student who fell during weekend protests dies: report

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology students' union said the 22-year old man was an undergraduate student.The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology students' union said the man was a 22-year-old surnamed Chow who was a two-year undergraduate in the computer science department.

Hong Kong : Hong Kong police said Saturday they have arrested three pro - democracy lawmakers over a brawl in parliament, deepening the city's crisis a day after the death of a student sent tensions soaring . The international finance hub has been upended by five months of huge and increasingly

Hong Kong police have arrested eight activists, including three ex- lawmakers , over their role in a July pro - democracy protest. This comes as China condemns US sanctions over Beijing's actions in the territory. Pro - democracy lawmaker Wu Chi-wai struggles with security at Hong Kong 's Legislative

Although the precise chain of events leading to his fall are unclear and disputed, protesters have made alleged police brutality one of their movement's rallying cries and have seized on the death.

Thousands attended candlelight vigils on Friday evening while police fought cat and mouse battles with flashmob protesters who blocked roads, burned barricades and vandalised subway station entrances in multiple neighbourhoods. 

In one incident, an officer fired a live warning shot as his unit faced off with protesters throwing projectiles.

Pictures: Hong Kong protests

- Upcoming local elections -

The city is holding district council elections on 24 November with the pro-Beijing camp bracing for heavy defeats.

Since this summer's pro-democracy protests kicked off, voter registration has soared and the pro-democracy camp is fielding candidates in every constituency for the first time.

But there are also concerns the elections could be called off given the spiralling violence. 

On Wednesday, one of the city's most stridently pro-Beijing politicians was wounded in a knife attack by a man who pretended to be a supporter. 

That assault came three days after a Mandarin-speaking man shouting pro-Beijing slogans knifed at least three pro-democracy protesters and bit off the ear of a local district councillor.

Pro-democracy lawmakers called for protesters not to give the government an excuse to cancel the elections because of the violence. 

"The district council election is a de facto referendum, in which all Hong Kong people can respond to the social problems, the unjust governance and the police brutality triggered by the extradition bill," lawmaker Tanya Chan said on Saturday.

But further unrest seems likely given that the protest movement is largely organised online by activists who favour confrontations with the police who are themselves responding with increasingly hardcore tactics as each month passes. 

Police have repeatedly denied any allegations of wrongdoing in relation to Chow's death.

Rallies and prayer vigils are expected on Saturday and Sunday evening and there have been calls for a general strike on Monday.

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