Hong Kong protests: former district councillor Lester Shum apologises to court over call for revenge on police following death of student Chow Tsz-lok
- Shum, a student leader in the Occupy Central movement in 2014, shared a post on Facebook suggesting the force had ‘murdered’ the student
- His admission came less than a week after the High Court handed down its first sentence for a court order banning online material that could incite violence
Former district councillor Lester Shum has apologised to the court for calling on others to take revenge against Hong Kong police for the death of a university student near the site of a clearance operation during the social unrest in 2019.
Through his defence counsel Albert Wong, Shum admitted to civil contempt of court on Friday, and also apologised for publishing a Facebook post which suggested the force had “murdered” Chow Tsz-lok, a 22-year-old student who died after falling off a car park in Tseung Kwan O in November 2019.
Shum, a student leader in the Occupy Central movement in 2014, shared the post on Facebook on May 8 last year, which was then republished on online news outlet, InMedia, the next day.
His admission came less than a week after the High Court handed down its first sentence for the violation of the same court order.
Both cases stem from an injunction barring the online promotion, encouragement or incitement of violence intended or likely to cause unlawful personal injury or property damage within Hong Kong.
The injunction was issued by the same court on October 31, 2019 as the social unrest entered its fifth month, when tensions between police and protesters continued to escalate.
