Hong Kong Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma, a bald, thickset lawyer with a Churchillian air, is in the eye of a storm after Beijing's politically charged intervention in the city's legal system, and those close to him say he is not a man to bend his principles.
Ma, a passionate cricket lover who studied in the U.K. and was first called to the English bar, is prevented by convention from publicly commenting on politics, but Hong Kong's Bar Association has condemned China's move on Monday to effectively bar two independence-leaning lawmakers from taking their seats in the city's legislature.
Hundreds of lawyers are planning a silent march on Tuesday night.