Hundreds of lawyers are preparing to take part in a silent march through the streets of Hong Kong in response to a recent decision by the Chinese government to block two newly-elected lawmakers from assuming their seats in Hong Kong’s 70-seat legislative council.

A dispute between Beijing and the newly-elected lawmakers erupted after the pair deliberately misread their oaths of office last month, during which they pledged allegiance to the ‘Hong Kong nation’ while displaying a banner that read ‘Hong Kong is not China.’ The incident prompted a walk-out of many pro-China politicians from the legislative session. On Monday, Beijing ruled that pro-independence activists Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung would not be allowed to take office unless they swore allegiance to Hong Kong as part of China. The pair will also be disqualified if they alter the wording of their oath of office of if they fail to deliver the oath in a sincere and solemn manner.

Sources: The Guardian; Al Jazeera