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First charges against Hong Kong anti-government protester
HONG KONG, July 5, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A Hong Kong street artist was charged
on Friday with assaulting a police officer and criminal damage, the first
prosecution against an anti-government protester since the city was rocked by
unprecedented demonstrations.
Sparked by a law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China,
the city has witnessed three huge peaceful rallies as well as civil
disobedience and violence from a hard core of younger protesters who have
besieged the police headquarters, and on Monday stormed and ransacked the
city’s parliament.
Authorities have vowed to hunt those behind the unrest that has plunged the
semi-autonomous city’s Beijing-backed government into crisis.
Pun Ho-chiu, 31, appeared in court on Friday over his alleged involvement
in the blockade of the city’s police headquarters on 21 June.
He was also charged with disorderly behaviour for throwing eggs at police
outside the headquarters during the six-hour siege.
A well-known activist nicknamed “Painter” for his street art, Pun was
remanded into custody and faces up to ten years in jail if convicted.
Forensic investigators have been combing through the trashed parliament for
fingerprint and DNA evidence that might help them uncover which protesters
were involved in the breach that left the building wrecked, its walls daubed
with slogans such as “HK is not China” and a colonial era flag pinned to the
legislature’s podium.
Police have yet to release a tally on how many have been arrested over the
month of protests but local media have reported dozens have been detained so
far.
The protests present the most severe challenge to Beijing and Hong Kong’s
leaders since the city’s handover to China.
Critics say Beijing has ratcheted up control over the city in recent years,
stamping down on dissidents and refusing calls for universal suffrage.
While the current protests were sparked by huge public opposition to the
extradition bill they have since morphed into a broad anti-government
movement.
City leader Carrie Lam has postponed the legislation but has failed to
quell public anger.
Protesters have demanded she withdraw the bill entirely, launch an
independent inquiry into police use of tear gas and rubber bullets, and for
her to step down.
Since the parliament siege Beijing has vocally thrown its support behind
Lam, calling on Hong Kong authorities to pursue all those involved in the
ransacking.
Multiple university student groups confirmed they had rejected an approach
this week by Lam’s administration for closed door talks arguing it was “too
little, too late”.
The students said they would only agree to talks if the government granted
an amnesty to those arrested and held the dialogue in public.
Lam led talks with student leaders during the 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella
Movement protests that occupied parts of the city for two months but failed
to win any concessions from Beijing.
BSS/AFP/GMR/1208 hrs