Hong Kong activist Tam Tak-chi was denied bail for the second time on Thursday after being charged with sedition.

Tam, vice chairperson of the localist group People Power, was charged with five counts of uttering seditious words and one count of disorderly conduct in a public place.

The High Court denied Tam’s application for bail a second time after he first appeared in court on Sept. 8, and has been remanded in custody.

The group’s chairperson Raymond Chan, who is also an opposition lawmaker, said the decision was disappointing and it amounted to political persecution because Tam was charged for criticizing the government.

“Each day that ‘Fast Beat’ spends in jail is a literary inquisition,” Chan said, referring to Tam by his nickname that was given to him during his time as a radio presenter.

Tam will have to wait to apply for bail again when he next appears in court on Nov. 17, Chan said outside the High Court after the hearing.

Minor scuffles broke out between police and a dozen of Tam’s supporters outside the court. Police officers finally released them after verifying their identity cards.

Prosecutors allege that the 48-year-old made seditious remarks which aimed to stir up hatred against the government and police on five occasions between March 15 and July 19.

Tam had allegedly shouted slogans that had emerged from last year’s anti-extradition law protests, such as “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” and “Five demands, not one less.” Other slogans were allegedly targeted against the police when he was lobbying at street booths.

He was charged with one count of disorderly public conduct, which alleged that Tam behaved in a noisy or disorderly manner on March 15, and had used threatening, abusive or insulting words with intent to provoke a breach of the peace.

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