Several hundred citizens on Monday morning queued outside a courthouse in Hong Kong to show solidarity with 47 democracy advocates charged with subversion under national security laws.

Proceedings in the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts wore on into the late afternoon, when police began dispersing the crowd. Officers raised the purple flag, signaling a warning that the congregating citizens might be violating national security legislation and taking part in unlawful assembly.

Police also invoked the Public Order Ordinance to lock down the street outside the courts and evict people from the temporarily restricted zone.

At 3 p.m., the Judiciary issued a statement saying: “With regards to a court order, security and public health considerations, members of the public are advised to no longer go to the court building today for this case.”

All eyes were on the 47 democracy advocates on Monday as they attended court to have their cases mentioned, a day after the police laid formal charges alleging that the defendants conspired to subvert state power in relation to their roles in an unofficial primary poll held last summer.

Outside court, supporters led by Civil Human Rights Front convenor Figo Chan shouted protest slogans and unfurled banners, demanding authorities to “release all political prisoners.” At one point, some people in the crowd also chanted “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Time”, a protest slogan which the city’s government deemed subversive.

The supporters also flashed a three-finger salute in support of protesters who were resisting a military coup in Myanmar.

Earlier in the day, among those waiting to observe the court proceedings were former Hong Kong bishop Cardinal Joseph Zen, former students’ union presidents at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Tommy Cheung and Ernie Chow, and Charles Whiteley, deputy head of the European Union Office in Hong Kong. Whiteley expressed concern about the prosecutions, echoing the office’s statement from Sunday.

Dozens of police officers stood guard outside the courthouse, demanding citizens to stop showing their banners and threatening to issue penalty tickets for violating coronavirus social distancing rules. They also asked the crowds to disperse.

Multiple members of the HA Employees Alliance turned up to support their chairperson Winnie Yu, who was one of those under prosecution.

“We would like to walk together. [Yu] has had to bear most of it alone. We provide any support we can,” said Ivan Law, vice chair of the union, a grouping of public health-care workers from the Hospital Authority. Law said they were also lining up to make sure Yu’s family members could attend court.

The union did not know if any others on its board would face legal repercussions in the future, but the group would persevere for as long as it could, to let medical workers speak out amid the pandemic, he added.

Veteran activist and former lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan arrived at the same court for an ongoing trial about illegal assembly. He called the prosecution of the 47 people “absurd” and feared that under the national security law, most would not be granted bail.

A Hongkonger in the queue who identified himself as Lau called the prosecution “problematic”. He said that Hong Kong was a liberal society where people had the right to participate in a primary. Lau lambasted Hong Kong authorities for the mass arrest and abuse of the law.

The 47 defendants, aged 23 to 64, are said to have violated Article 22(3) of the national security law by conspiring to “subvert the state power by organising, planning, committing or participating by force or threat of force or other unlawful means,” prosecution papers show. They are accused of trying to cripple the government by plotting to win a majority in the 70-member legislature using a “35-plus” strategy.

Click here for Chinese version

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play