Forty-seven Hongkongers resorted to a “mutual destruction” scheme to cripple government operations and force the administration to accede to their demands, prosecutors said on Monday in accusing the defendants of subversion.

The court case against the 47 democracy advocates is the single largest batch of prosecutions under the city’s national security law, taking shape eight months after the legislation took effect on June 30, 2020. Prosecutors presented the case at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Monday for mention after laying charges on the previous day.

According to the charge sheet, the defendants, aged 23 to 64, each faces one count of subverting state power. They were allegedly involved in a conspiracy between July 1, 2020, and Jan. 1, 2021, to organize, plan and conduct subversive activities and to threaten the use of force or other unlawful means.

The accused intended to abuse their power and functions, after being elected, as the majority bloc in the Legislative Council to refuse to pass any budget introduced by the government and compel the chief executive to dissolve the legislature and resign, the charge sheet showed.

Prosecutors did not explain why the said acts, which would be exercising powers granted under the Basic Law, could constitute subversion. The lead prosecutor representing the government in the case is Maggie Yang, deputy director of public prosecutions in special duties.

“I want to see my lawyer,” Gwyneth Ho, one of the defendants, shouted in court as she was unable to meet her defense attorney before Monday’s proceedings began. Chief magistrate Victor So adjourned the session from the morning to 3:30 p.m., to give Ho and the others time to speak with their attorneys.

The current case revolves around an unofficial primary poll held by the city’s pro-democracy camp last summer based on a “35-plus” strategy, which targeted selecting the right candidates most likely to clinch legislative seats in an official election. The government later delayed the citywide legislative voting on pandemic grounds and, in early January, arrested more than 50 democracy advocates over their roles in the primary.

National security police listed each defendant’s role and alleged crime in the “35-plus” campaign. Benny Tai, a legal scholar who spearheaded the informal polling, was accused of promoting his political agenda through media outlets and his own social media page, while activist Au Nok-hin posted the plan for the primary on Facebook and provided assistance.

District councilors Ben Chung and Andrew Chiu from the group Power for Democracy coordinated the campaign by raising funds, recruiting volunteers and organizing the logistics, according to prosecutors.

Other defendants participated in meetings hosted by Tai and Au in April and May, before taking part in the public polls in June. By standing as candidates in the primary, they agreed to follow Tai’s advocacy plan and accept the result of the poll, the prosecution said.

The primary eventually went ahead at 251 polling stations, collecting more than 600,000 votes for a total of 51 candidates, prosecutors said. The 47 defendants in the present case were among 55 arrested on Jan. 6 and 7; they were again taken into custody on Sunday after being charged.

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