Hong Kong’s new leader was bundled out of an auditorium by police yesterday after he was heckled by protesters, marking a rocky first day in office following the city’s biggest protest in nearly a decade.

Sunday’s protests were a defiant reception for Mr Leung and a show of popular anger among the seven million people of Hong Kong

The incident comes a day after organisers claimed 400,000 people rallied against Leung Chun-ying and Beijing’s meddling in local affairs, following Mr Leung’s swearing-in as chief executive be­fore Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Police gave a much lower turnout of 63,000 at the rally and march, which took place on the 15th anniversary of the former British colony’s return to China.

But both estimates were the highest respective figures for eight years.

A session that was part of Mr Leung’s charm campaign to address the simmering public discontent was forced to end early after he was heckled by unruly protesters before police escorted him out of the community hall.

Television news footage showed a protester, who stood behind Mr Leung, holding up a placard saying the session was merely a “show” before the chaos erupted.

Earlier, Mr Leung vowed to “seriously and humbly listen to the people’s demands”, in a bid to reach out to the demonstrators.

Sunday’s protests were a defiant reception for Mr Leung and a show of popular anger among the seven million people of Hong Kong, a financial hub that retains a semi-autonomous status in China with its own legal and financial systems.

President Hu’s weekend visit was held under smothering security and drew sneers from Hong Kongers as anti-Beijing sentiment surges to a post-handover high in opinion polls.

Mr Leung has pledged to tackle public grievances, including a widening gap between the rich and poor, and soaring property costs which have made home ownership an impossible dream for many residents, especially younger people.

Pictures of the huge sea of people who marched for hours on Sunday in sweltering heat were splashed across yesterday’s newspaper front-pages, as editorial writers spelt out the challenge for Mr Leung on his first day in office.