Police on Thursday charged 14 people with rioting in connection with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) campus unrest last year, while another remains wanted.
Last November, officers besieged the PolyU campus in Tsim Sha Tsui for nearly two weeks, after pro-democracy protesters occupied multiple universities the week before during citywide unrest.
The 15 people, aged 15 to 61, were originally arrested during a police dispersal operation at the campus on November 18 last year.
Five were released on bail later in the month, while ten refused bail and were released pending further investigation.
During the siege, the force said: “[A]nyone who enters or stays on the campus and assist[s] rioters in any way will risk committing the offence of ‘taking part in a riot’.”
In addition to the rioting charges, four of the 15 were charged with possession of an instrument fit for an unlawful purpose and another was charged with possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
The case will be mentioned next Monday at Eastern Magistrates’ Court.
Sham Shui Po protest arrests
Separately, West Kowloon Police Headquarters Regional Crime Unit Acting Superintendent Lau Ka-chun told reporters that another 14 people had been charged with rioting outside Sham Shui Po Police Station on August 29 last year.
Lau said protesters had thrown bricks and shone laser pointers at officers, prompting police to clear the scene after several warnings. A total of 18 people, aged 13 to 41, were arrested that night, three of whom were charged two days later.
Police later charged 14 of the remaining 15, including two who had been released on bail, and are looking to charge another who cannot be located. The charges included rioting and possession of offensive weapons.
The case will be mentioned on June 16 at Kowloon City Magistrates’ Court.
