Protester jailed for 27 months over rioting during 2019 march approved by police
- Tse Cheuk-wa, 25, pleaded guilty last month to committing the offence on August 24, 2019
- But judge notes Tse was not responsible for most of violence that occurred that day in Kowloon Bay
A former Hong Kong design school student was jailed for more than two years on Thursday for rioting during a 2019 anti-government protest in which activists vandalised smart lamp posts.
Tse Cheuk-wa, 25, pleaded guilty before a District Court judge last month to rioting in Kowloon Bay on August 24, 2019, when a march approved by police descended into violence and disrupted traffic.
Protesters had taken to the streets demanding the full withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill which would have enabled the city to hand over fugitives to jurisdictions with which it lacked a transfer agreement, including mainland China. They also targeted about 50 smart lamp posts installed in eastern Kowloon, some of which were equipped with video cameras.
Prosecutors said Tse was among 20 protesters who set up a makeshift roadblock near Ngau Tau Kok Police Station and refused to leave despite repeated warnings from officers at 2.30pm. Some also hurled bricks and shone bright light at police.
Tse, who was wearing protective gear at the time, hit a chief inspector on the arm at around 4.40pm after the officer tried to arrest a protester in a dispersal operation. He was immediately subdued.
