Eight pro-democracy figures, including three former opposition lawmakers, were arrested on Tuesday morning for inciting, organizing and participating in an unauthorized assembly over their involvement in protests on June 30 and July 1 this year.

Those arrested include veteran activist “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung, leading localist Eddie Chu, former Democratic Party chairperson Wu Chi-wai, convener of Civil Human Rights Front Figo Chan, activist Tsang Kin-shing and district councilors Lancelot Chan, Tang Sai-lai and Andy Chui. Their cases are handled by the Hong Kong Island Regional Criminal Unit officers.

The latest round of arrests came a day after the national security police unit apprehended eight people, including district councilors, students and university alumni, on Monday for participating in a campus rally on the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s graduation day last month. Three of them were accused of inciting secession for chanting pro-independence slogans.

Figo Chan live-streamed his arrest at around 6 a.m. on Tuesday. The video shows several plainclothes officers entering his apartment and informing Chan of his charges, which include two counts of unlawful assembly and one count of organizing an unlawful assembly. “Shame on political crackdown,” Chan said in the livestream.

Leung from the League of Social Democrats was arrested from his home at a similar time. “Long live the freedom of assembly. Civil disobedience is not a crime. Five demands, not one less,” he shouted with a V-sign, before he was taken on a police vehicle.

Chan is accused of being involved in 10 different criminal offences in relation to protests last year. In an interview with Apple Daily in October, Chan said as long as the pro-democracy movement has not ended, he would refrain from passing on his role as convener of the organization to new people, as it is irresponsible to put the pressure on his successor.

In a statement on Tuesday morning, police confirmed that eight men, aged 24 to 64, were arrested for violating Article 245 of the Public Order Ordinance and are now detained for investigation.

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