In Hong Kong, 2017 opened with a march of thousands protesting China-backed efforts to unseat four new pro-democracy legislators. The Civil Human Rights Front, which organized the rally, also wanted to help contribute to a drive to raise about 645,000 dollars for the legislator's legal costs, the South China Morning Post reports. <br/><br/>About 183,108 dollars was raised during the march. Hong Kong city courts, backed by Beijing, have already ousted two democracy advocates recently elected to Hong Kong's legislative council, Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung, for failing to swear their oaths of office correctly. Now, Nathan Law Kwun-chung, Edward Yiu Chung-yim, Lau Siu-lai and Leung Kwok-hung have been targeted for the same offence. Led by the four rebel legislators, crowds chanted sovereignty belongs to the people as they marched.<br/>