Beijing mouthpiece steps up attacks on Youngspiration duo, wants them barred from Legco
Article in People’s Daily overseas edition says Sixtus Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching violated basic law and must face consequences
Citing remarks by three members of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, the People’s Daily overseas edition stated in Tuesday’s paper that the conduct of the Youngspiration pair had violated the Basic Law and challenged the principle of “one country, two systems”. The article called for the duo to bear the legal consequences of their actions even though they were not officially lawmakers.
“The insulting oaths of Leung and Yau were ... full of ill will. This had obviously breached and is a challenge to the Basic Law. The pair are not qualified to be lawmakers,” it read.
Watch: Three Hong Kong lawmakers have oath rejected
During a seminar in Taipei on October 22, on the topic of Hong Kong’s localist movement, the pair also called for Taiwan to “insulate” itself from the mainland.
Citing Article 104 of the Basic Law, People’s Daily said those who embraced the city’s independence could not be legislators.
The Communist party mouthpiece also slammed the pair for their allegedly deceptive behaviour.
“They disregarded the feelings of all Chinese nationals for their political capital. We should not let such opportunists worm their way into the Legislative Council,” it continued, adding that taking a bogus oath was also a serious offence.
While asserting that Hong Kong independence would never be possible, the article said that the pair’s language and behaviour had brought vulgarity to the city’s political culture and was a bad influence on the younger generation.
The article in the People’s Daily overseas edition came after opinion pieces in Chinese tabloid the Global Times denounced the behaviour of the two localist lawmakers.
