A Hong Kong court convicted on Thursday prominent former pro-democracy lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting for rioting after he was attacked by a white-shirted mob in July 2019 at the height of that year’s pro-democracy protests.
On the night of July 21, 2019, more than 100 white-shirted men stormed the Yuen Long MTR station in the territory’s northwest, attacking passers-by and journalists with clubs and sticks. Ten of the assailants ended up being convicted for rioting and conspiring to wound with intent.
Lam, 47, a long-standing member of the Democratic Party, was arrested 13 months after the incident and charged with rioting and helping instigate the violence.
He told the court he had rushed to the scene to help, but ended up being taken to hospital with head, mouth, arm, and wrist injuries that required 16-18 stitches, after being attacked.
District court judge Stanley Chan said he did not believe Lam went to meditate, but instead wanted to extract some political advantage while his Facebook posts had drawn more people like a “magnet”.
“His purpose was to provoke an emotional confrontation with the white-shirted people and fan the flames,” Chan said.
Six other men: Yu Ka-ho, Jason Chan, Yip Kam-sing, Kwong Ho-lam, Wan Chung-ming, and Marco Yeung were also convicted.
In a nearly four-hour session in a packed courtroom, Chan detailed how the men had retaliated by spraying fire hoses and fire extinguishers, as well as throwing water bottles at the mob.
He rejected arguments that some had acted with reasonable self-defense or to protect others but had displayed “riotous behavior” that led the white-clad gang to be further provoked.
Chan also said the slow deployment of police that night was not an “excuse to provoke the other party or even an excuse for using violence against violence”.
Sentencing is on Feb 27 with a maximum jail term of seven years.
In an ongoing crackdown on dissent in the Asian financial hub after the 2019 protests, pro-democracy campaigners have been jailed or exiled, liberal civil society and media outlets closed, and an electoral overhaul has blocked opposition democrats from elections.
