HONG KONG — Pro-democracy opposition lawmakers in Hong Kong have resigned en masse in protest over the expulsion of their four colleagues.

Authorities in Hong Kong said in a statement the four legislators — Kwok Ka-ki, Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, and Kenneth Leung — were expelled from the assembly for endangering national security.

The four were previously barred from running in now postponed legislative elections earlier this year.

The banning of the four followed meetings of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The body passed a resolution to disqualify those who support Hong Kong's independence or refused to acknowledge China's sovereignty over the city, China's official Xinhua news agency said.

In a show of solidarity on Monday, the city's 15 remaining pro-democracy lawmakers announced they would step down en masse, saying that the "One Country Two Systems" framework that had meant to provide Hong Kong with greater autonomy from the mainland is now officially dead.

At a press conference announcing the mass resignation on Wednesday, Dennis Kwok, one of the four disqualified lawmakers, said that Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam had "sought to turn the Legislative Council into a one-party system."

"It is ridiculous that the government has completely given up the Basic Law and 'One Country Two Systems'," he said. "The Legislative Council has the responsibility to check the government."

Kwok said that the pan-democratic lawmakers "will stand together with our disqualified colleagues and we will today all resign together." The group said they would hand in their resignations in the legislative chamber together on Thursday. — Agencies