Hong Kong police have arrested seven people over scuffles that broke out in the city’s legislature during a face-off between pro-democracy and pro-Beijing legislators earlier this year.

Those arrested include current and former opposition legislators, according to their political parties and media reports.

A police statement said that six men and one woman had been detained on suspicion of contempt and interfering with legislative members. It did not name them.

The statement said the arrests are part of an investigation into a May 8 committee meeting in which pro-democracy legislators rushed toward the chairperson’s seat and security guards shoved back.

The guards carried out several pro-democracy legislators, including Eddie Chu and Ray Chan, after they had been ordered to leave for disorderly conduct. Both stepped down on September 30.

Mr Chan said on Twitter that he was arrested at 7am on Sunday, and Hong Kong media said that Mr Chu had also been arrested.

The Democratic Party said on its Facebook page that three of its legislative members had been arrested including party chairman Wu Chi-wai.

The May 8 incident was the first in a series of scuffles over a bill approved in June that made it illegal to insult the Chinese national anthem.