Chaos breaks out at district council meeting over Agnes Chow’s disqualification from March 11 by-election

Pro-democracy activists and district councillors were trying to question the government official who banned the 21-year-old’s candidacy

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Chaos ensued at the meeting of the Eastern District Council on Tuesday. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 8:00pm, 30 Jan 2018Updated: 11:10pm, 30 Jan 2018

Chaos broke out when pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong Chi-fung and Agnes Chow Ting, together with 10 district councillors, tried to attend a meeting on Tuesday to get answers on why Chow was banned from contesting the upcoming Legislative Council by-election.

They were attempting to speak to Anne Teng, the government official in charge of overseeing the March 11 polls who ruled last week that Chow was ineligible as a candidate.

Teng was supposed to attend the Eastern District Council meeting in Sai Wan Ho as a government representative, wearing her other hat as head of the Eastern District office.

The city’s 18 District Councils scrutinise government funding and coordinate community initiatives, with councillors elected by the public.

In the Eastern District Council, pro-establishment politicians hold 25 of 35 seats, with the rest belonging to pro-democracy members.

The 10 councillors wanted to raise a motion to discuss the disqualification ruling while about 10 activists, including Chow and Wong, planned to observe the meeting from the public seating area.

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But Teng did not show up, leading Wong to criticise her for being absent so she could “dodge and ignore” the questions.