Hongxiu Chen and eight other members of the Hong Kong social workers were accused by the Hong Kong government of participating in the “Wanchai riots” on August 31, last year. Hongxiu Chen was acquitted of all charges, and the remaining seven defendants were acquitted of all charges by a judge today. The judge also bluntly stated that the prosecution had no evidence of the defendant’s behavior prior to his arrest. The verdict was met with thunderous applause and many supporters cried with emotion.
According to Standpoint News, the seven defendants who appeared in court today are accused of participating in a riot on August 31 last year in the area of Hennessy Road and Luard Road in Wanchai. The court said that the police have not been able to prove the defendant’s behavior before the arrest, and that the defendant is suspected of running away from the police.
It can’t be denied that “black” has become more and more associated with social movements, but he said that people wearing black should not be regarded as participants in riots or illegal assembly at random, because of the danger of doing so and the opportunity to wrongly accuse innocent people, but also to wear black. People dressed in white or other colors were allowed to participate in the riot. The choice of color of clothing was a matter of personal preference, and there is no evidence that they deliberately distinguished themselves from non-participants.
The judge ruled that the seven defendants were not guilty of all charges in the courtroom, which was immediately followed by thunderous applause in the courtroom.
In this regard, the convener of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), Mr. Chan Ho-hwan, said that the Hong Kong police often prosecute participants of rallies and demonstrations arbitrarily for riot charges, and the verdict this time can clearly tell the Hong Kong government that participants of rallies and demonstrations are not “thugs”; Democratic Party legislator Mr. Lam Cheuk-ting said that the verdict proves once again the problem of indiscriminate arrests and prosecutions by the police in the past year; the former secretary-general of the Hong Kong Public Chi also shared the news on Facebook, affirming the judge’s decision.
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