Hundreds of Hong Kong lawyers dressed in black took to streets on Tuesday to protest against China's landmark decision to ban two elected pro-independent lawmakers from taking their seats in the legislature.

The protesters, which included local as well as foreign lawyers, walked from Hong Kong High Court to Court of Final Appeal.

Like Us on Facebook

The demonstration was staged exactly a day after China's top legislative body - the National People's Congress Standing Committee - delivered the unprecedented ruling. The ruling came after Beijing interpreted Hong Kong's mini-constitution, also known as Basic Law, for only the second time since taking over the autonomous city in 1997.

"We want to express that interpretation is not the norm of the Hong Kong legal system," said legislator and barrister Dennis Kwok, who organized Tuesday's rally. "We will not accept interpretation becoming the norm."

The lawyers' protest march reportedly coincided with dozens of Pro-China protestors, who taunted them with many pro-China slogans. One Beijing loyalist held up a placard that read: "Rioters mess up Hong Kong."

Tuesday's rally was the fourth such protest by the city's lawyers since 1997. The last rally was staged in June 2014 against China's controversial white paper. 

The Hong Kong Bar Association, representing more than 1,000 lawyers, also expressed regret over the interpretation, claiming that it would "do more harm than good" and create the wrong impression that the Chinese government is interfering in the city's judicial matters. 

The latest pro-democracy protest started after recently elected legislators Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung allegedly used certain derogatory words during their oath-taking and also carried a banner that reads "Hong Kong is not China" during the ceremony. 

The pro-democracy movement in former British colony had largely fizzled out since a major protest in 2014.

TagsHong Kong pro-democracy movement, Hong Kong, Hong Kong and China, Hong Kong Pro-Independent Movement