Hong Kong activist faces second spell in jail
Joshua Wong, the high-profile Hong Kong democracy activist, is likely to be returned to prison after he and two others pleaded guilty yesterday to inciting and organising an ‘‘unauthorised assembly’’ last year outside the city’s police headquarters.
‘‘The authorities wish me to stay in prison but I’m persuaded that neither prison bars nor election bans nor other arbitrary power will stop us from activism,’’ Wong, 24, told the media before heading into court.
‘‘I’m prepared for the slim chance [of] walking free,’’ he said.
‘‘We will continue to fight for freedom – and now is not the time for us to kowtow to Beijing and surrender.’’
The protest in question took place on June 21 last year at the beginning of a turbulent summer of protests.
Hundreds surrounded the police base and called for accountability after officers used tear gas.
Wong stood trial alongside Ivan Lam, 26, and Agnes Chow, 23, who both admitted incitement. Chow also pleaded guilty to knowingly taking part in an unauthorised assembly.
Prosecutors played several video clips showing the three were present outside police headquarters on June 21 where they could be seen chanting slogans at officers inside.
One clip showed Wong encouraging others to ‘‘besiege the police headquarters’’ as a pressure tactic.
The group was remanded into custody yesterday after their plea and will remain there until they are sentenced on December 2, meaning that a jail term is all but guaranteed. Before being taken away by security staff, Wong shouted ‘‘Everyone hang in there! Add oil’’ in the courtroom, using a Cantonese expression of encouragement often used during protests. Small groups of supporters surrounded their prison van as they were driven away shouting ‘‘Add oil!’’ and ‘‘No rioters, only tyranny!’’
Wong’s continued activism has drawn the wrath of Beijing, which sees him as a ‘‘black hand’’ of foreign forces.
He disbanded his prodemocracy group Demosisto in June, just hours after China’s parliament passed a security law, punishing anything Beijing considers to be subversion, secessionism, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, with up to life in prison.