This archive report was first published on 16 October 2019.
On October 16, 2019, Hong Kong's embattled leader, Carrie Lam, was driven from the legislative chamber by pro-democracy lawmakers as she prepared to make a speech outlining policy ideas for dealing with the city's roiling crisis.
Lawmakers repeatedly jeered and shouted at Mrs. Lam, demanding her resignation, and after two failed attempts, she retreated. She later delivered the speech by video from a protected location.
Despite being under pressure from China's central government to put an end to the increasingly violent protests, Mrs. Lam showed no signs of compromise in her address.
“Any acts that advocate Hong Kong's independence and threaten the country's sovereignty, security and development interests will not be tolerated,” she said.
Pro-democracy lawmakers had reacted with anger to Mrs. Lam's presence before she even said a word. They played a recording of high-pitched screams and the firing of tear gas, to evoke the protests, and projected the image of a central protest movement slogan, “Five demands, not one less!” onto the stage.
“Please step down,” a pro-democracy lawmaker, Tanya Chan, said after Mrs. Lam retreated. “This is the only way we can have a good future.”
Mrs. Lam used her address to announce a series of measures aimed at tackling long-held economic grievances in Hong Kong, including rising inequality and the high cost of living. However, she avoided addressing the political demands of the protesters, such as an investigation of the police's use of force and a call for free elections.
