Three student activists reported to the police headquarters in Wan Chai for “arrests by appointment” on Thursday morning under charges of unlawful assembly during the pro-democracy Occupy protests last year.
Scholarism convener Joshua Wong, along with Hong Kong Federation of Students’ secretary general Nathan Law and ex-secretary general Alex Chow, are expected to be formally charged with joining an unlawful assembly and inciting others to do so during the Occupy movement last year.
Over a dozen people showed up at the police station in support of the trio.
Wong criticised the “arrest by appointment” as being deliberately timed to come just as the August 31 anniversary of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee’s decision on Hong Kong electoral system reforms is approaching.
“They’re prosecuting us for entering a place that anyone should be able to enter, and saying it’s an unlawful assembly—we suspect… political considerations involved,” he added.
Trio face possible charges of inciting others to join or taking part in unauthorized assembly, or both #Occupy #HKFS pic.twitter.com/gNL3T9Aj69
— Damon Pang (@damon_pang) August 27, 2015
Dozens of supporters turn up as @joshuawong1013 and @HKFS1958 leader Nathan Law arrive @ police HQ for arrest #Occupy pic.twitter.com/0cexH086d1 — Damon Pang (@damon_pang) August 27, 2015
Joshua Wong, facing charges of unlawful assemblies, says his Sep 26 occupation of “Civic Square” was the best decision in his activist life.
— Alan Wong (@alanwongw) August 27, 2015
The trio were arrested for breaking into the East Wing Forecourt of the Central Government Office (Civic Square) on September 26 last year.
The NPCSC’s decision on August 31 last year mandated that those running in the chief executive elections need to be pre-approved. It sparked widespread discontent and layed the roots for the Occupy movement.
Update (12:55pm): In a statement on Facebook, Joshua Wong announced that he had been formally charged by the police with taking part in an unlawful assembly and inciting others to take part in unlawful assembly. He will appear at Eastern Magistrates’ Court on September 2. Wong said that he could not understand how entering the Civic Square would constitute “a breach of peace,” as had been stated on the details of the charges.
