Hong Kong ex-opposition lawmaker has case to answer over allegedly instigating mob violence at Yuen Long MTR station in 2019
- Lam Cheuk-ting and 46 others were injured by white-shirted men armed with rods at MTR station on July 21 that year
- Prosecutors have maintained attack was result of ‘repeated provocation’ by black-clad group gathering at station, including Lam
A Hong Kong court has found former opposition lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting has a case to answer over allegedly instigating mob violence at a railway station during the 2019 anti-government protests.
The District Court decided on Thursday that prosecutors had sufficient evidence to accuse Lam Cheuk-ting of rioting on July 21 that year. Lam and 46 others were injured by a group of white-shirted men armed with rods at Yuen Long MTR station, in an attack viewed as the tipping point of the protests arising from a now-withdrawn extradition bill.
The court reached a similar conclusion regarding the riot allegations against Lam’s co-defendants: Yu Ka-ho, Jason Chan Wing-hei, Yip Kam-sing, Kwong Ho-lam, Wan Chung-ming and Marco Yeung Long.
Prosecutors have maintained the attack was the result of “repeated provocation” by a black-clad group gathering at the station, including Lam, a Democratic Party lawmaker at the time.
They relied on the testimony of a female bystander, who claimed the men in white went after their rivals only after they “could no longer bear” the latter’s verbal abuse.
The defence questioned the credibility of the woman, who was seen applauding and cheering for the white-shirted assailants while wearing a red string used to distinguish allies from foes.
The trial also learned that police had assigned two officers to monitor the station that night after discovering some villagers had called for an illegal assembly in the area, but they were unable to prevent the attack.
