Benny Tai, Dr Chan Kin-man and Reverend Chu Yiu-ming deny three joint counts relating to public nuisanceSix others also in the dock over protests which brought major roads to standstill in 2014
The three founders of Hong Kong’s huge pro-democracy movement of 2014 mobilised an illegal demonstration to force local authorities to respond to their political demands, prosecutors told a court on Monday.
Opening the case, Andrew Bruce SC said the trio were joined by six other key protesters when organising various unlawful sit-ins – better known as the Occupy movement – at the heart of the city in late September that year.
The three founders were academics Benny Tai Yiu-ting and Dr Chan Kin-man as well as Reverend Chu Yiu-ming, who denied three joint counts: one of conspiracy to cause public nuisance; one of inciting others to cause public nuisance; and one of inciting people to incite others to cause public nuisance.
The six others included legislators Tanya Chan and Shiu Ka-chun, former student leaders Tommy Cheung Sau-yin and Eason Chung Yiu-wah, and Raphael Wong Ho-ming, vice-chairman of the League of Social Democrats, all of whom faced – and denied – the two incitement charges.
Former Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat denied one count of incitement to commit public nuisance.
Bruce began his speech in Room 3 of West Kowloon Court shortly after the nine pleaded not guilty to the string of charges arising from the 79-day protests sparked by a rigid political reform framework announced by Beijing the previous month. Beijing’s proposal stopped short of granting Hong Kong open nominations in elections for the city’s leader, which the protesters had demanded.
As a result of the alleged offences, three major thoroughfares – Harcourt Road, Fenwick Pier Street and Tim Mei Road, which span the city’s business area from Wan Chai to Central – were brought to a standstill, the prosecutor said.
“A common injury would be done to the public or at least a significant section of the public if those major thoroughfares were unreasonably obstructed for demonstration,” he said, citing the resultant diversions of buses and ambulances.
