Hong Kong protesters tried to prevent police putting out fire, court hears

Trial centres on encounter at June 2014 rally in which pro-democracy figures burned a prop representing Beijing’s white paper on the city

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Raphael Wong (far left), Leung Kwok-hung, Albert Chan, Nathan Law and Joshua Wong protest outside court. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 2:41pm, 3 May 2016Updated: 9:21pm, 3 May 2016

A police inspector told Eastern Court that two men, including radical lawmaker Albert Chan Wai-yip, blocked a colleague from putting out a fire to burn a big copy of Beijing’s white paper on the extent of Hong Kong’s autonomy at a protest outside Beijing’s liaison office.

Li Tsz-wai’s testimony was made during the trial of League of Social Democrats vice-chairman Raphael Wong Ho-ming, 27, Chan, 61, Demosisto chairman Nathan Law Kwun-chung, 23, and the new party’s secretary Joshua Wong Chi-fung, 19.

The four were accused of obstructing police officers as they carried out their duties at a protest in Western district on June 11, 2014.

In a 22-minute video played in court on Tuesday, protesters were seen burning a prop of Beijing’s white paper, following the release of the document which spelled out the central government’s “complete jurisdiction” over Hong Kong. The prop measured 1.5 by one metre.

Li said his plainclothes colleague splashed bottled water in an attempt to douse the fire, when Raphael Wong and Chan “attempted to use their bodies to prevent the officer from doing so”.

Raphael Wong (left, pictured at a protest in March) said political prosecution was shameful. Photo: David Wong

The fire was later put out when another officer used a fire extinguisher.