Hong Kong Protests Live Updates: Police Violence Puts Government on Defensive – The New York Times

Mrs. Lam, who was handpicked by the central government in Beijing, has showed little interest in withdrawing the legislation and has compared the protesters to spoiled children.

After a day of protests that at times turned violent, 200 members of the Election Committee, the body that anoints the territory’s chief executive, published an open letter on Wednesday night calling on Mrs. Lam to resign.

“We believe that Carrie Lam has lost political legitimacy and must step down,” the letter said. “A new chief executive should be elected instead.”

The Election Committee, is composed of 1,194 people who represent the city’s different industrial sectors. Many of those who signed the letter are known to be democrats who openly supported Mrs. Lam’s opponents in the last election.

Twenty committee members, who represent the city’s lawyers, signed a separate petition condemning the tactics of the police on Wednesday, which they characterized as excessive.

A number of former senior officials joined in the criticism of Mrs. Lam and the bill, and attacked the actions of the police.

Mrs. Lam’s decision to push ahead despite such strong opposition is “nothing short of a dictator’s act,” said Joseph Wong, a former civil service secretary who also called on an independent council to investigate the police’s use of force. In an open letter to Mrs. Lam, seven other former senior officials urged her to withdraw the bill.