Ex-Hong Kong politician, 6 others convicted over riot at MTR station in 2019
Court says former lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting’s actions helped turn unlawful assembly in Yuen Long into violent clash with white-clad rioters
A former opposition lawmaker and six other men have been convicted of rioting at a railway station during the 2019 protests in Hong Kong, with the judge criticising the ex-legislator for taking part in unlawful activities to gain political fame.
District Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi said on Thursday former lawmaker and district councillor Lam Cheuk-ting, 47, had taken part in an unlawful assembly at Yuen Long MTR station on the night of July 21, 2019.
The incident quickly escalated when Lam and other participants provoked another group of white-clad rioters at the scene, Chan said.
Video evidence showed the former lawmaker and dozens of other residents taking part in the clash with about 100 white-clad men armed with sticks who stood outside the turnstile gates on the upper floor of the station platform.
Lam said his only intention that night was to manage the conflict and protect the public in his capacity as a legislator. He went to the station after he was notified of the violence unfolding in the area, he said.
He earlier took to the witness box and said he had asked his assistant to live-stream the incident to help collect evidence against the men in white, saying he suspected they were triad members.
