Legal sector plans march to protest against Beijing’s ‘worrying’ white paper

Legal professionals will march next week, for only the third time in Hong Kong's history, in opposition to Beijing's white paper outlining its "comprehensive jurisdiction" over the city.

This emerged yesterday as a member of the Law Society proposed a vote of no confidence in society president Ambrose Lam San-keung after he praised the document.

Beijing stated in the paper that judges were administrators and as such had a "basic political requirement" to love the country. It also suggested that judges had a responsibility of "correctly understanding and implementing the Basic Law".

Civic Party lawmaker Dennis Kwok said the legal sector, which he represents, was worried about the paper because it was "against the principles of rule of law".

The party's leader, Audrey Eu Yuet-mee, said the silent march would demonstrate support for an independent judiciary as the foundation for the "one country, two systems" principle. Senior pan-democrat Martin Lee Chu-ming SC said it was critical to maintain the impartiality of the judiciary.

"I am sure every member of the legal sector - who is not being brainwashed - will join the silent protest," he said.