Hong Kong police had abdicated their responsibility to protect the public during a 2019 protest, a defense lawyer said at the trial of Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai and six former lawmakers from the pro-democracy camp.

Lai and the six veteran democrats have been charged with organizing or taking part in an illegal march on Aug. 18, 2019. Prosecutors said demonstrators circumvented a police ban on the protest, and turned a static rally into a march from Causeway Bay to Central.

Barrister Po Wing-kay, representing former lawmakers Martin Lee and Albert Ho, argued on Wednesday that the police made a series of mistakes and did not help people leave the area in a peaceful and orderly manner.

Police permitted crowds to gather in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay on Aug. 18, but banned any marches outside the area. However, officers provided no dispersal instructions and abandoned the public at the moment they were needed most, Po said.

Law enforcement had abdicated its responsibility to protect the public, prevent crime and defend the rule of law, Po added.

Prosecutors disputed Po’s version of events, saying that police officers were trying to avoid provoking the crowd and that sufficient backup personnel had been deployed.

Prosecutors also argued that the crowds could have taken the Mass Transit Railway to leave Causeway Bay. Po responded that nearby MTR stations were packed at the time and were not a feasible option.

Defense lawyer Hectar Pun, representing former lawmaker “Long Hair” Leung-kwok Hung, argued that the prosecution was a violation of his client’s right to assembly. Leung was part of a group of pro-democracy figures trying to lead the crowds to disperse peacefully at the MTR station, Pun added.

The other defendants in the case are former lawmakers Margaret Ng, Lee Cheuk-yan and Cyd Ho. Two others, Au Nok-hin and Leung Yiu-chung, pleaded guilty before the trial began.

The trial continues on Thursday.

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