Arrested student from Chinese University siege: “Sacrifice is inevitable in this era of revolution. Hongkongers, please continue fighting.”

Preface: One year of protests and those charged with rioting

The Anti-ELAB movement spanned a year. The incident at Admiralty on 12 June 2019 was the movement's tipping point. When protestors breached the Legislative Council Complex that day, the police dispersed them with tear gas and rubber bullets. After the clash, the Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo Wai-Chung characterised the incident on 12 June as a riot. Chief Executive Carrie Lam agreed and supported Stephen Lo’s claim, while most civilians explicitly objected to it. Four days later (16 June 2019), 2 million Hongkongers joined a march and shouted slogans like “Students were not rioters”, “We didn’t riot.” One of the five demands in this movement was to withdraw the characterisation of "riot" from the incident of 12 June 2019.

However, this demand has yet to be addressed by the government. Protestors have continued fighting and more were getting arrested. In response to an inquiry by Stand News, the police said they arrested 8,986 people at various protest activities and pressed charges against 1,808 people between 9 June 2019 and 31 May 2020. The most frequent allegation was "rioting", with the number of defendants totalling 612.

A 21-year-old lifeguard who was charged with rioting at Admiralty on 12 June 2019 recently pleaded guilty at the District Court. The judge emphasised that protestors “directly challenged the rule of law” and “disregarded the law and the police's safety”. The sentence should serve as a sufficient deterrent and consider the interests of the public. After considering aspects like the scale of the riot, the extent of violence, the guilty plea made before trial and his age, etc., he was originally sentenced to 6 years after the hearing. Due to the guilty plea made before trial, his sentence was shortened by a third, to 4 years in prison.

Those charged with rioting on 12 June 2019 are all facing the same juncture. If they are put behind bars, it may cost them their precious formative years. The day is coming soon, but they cannot make plans.

After a year of protests, Stand News interviewed a few of those charged with rioting to understand their original goals and document their worries and expectations at this crossroad.

******************************

Man hasn’t mentioned why he was still staying in school. Since the hearings would start soon, he worried that his comments might affect other arrestees. He only said that people present [at the CUHK siege] feared that an incident similar to the 4 June 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre would happen. They just wanted to stay and protect this bastion of academic integrity. Having been suppressed for some time, people saw it as an endgame in the movement and hoped to achieve something from it.

In the afternoon of 11 and 12 Nov last year, protesters at the CUHK campus took large rubbish bins and umbrellas for protection as they inched towards the riot police defence line at No. 2 bridge. They threw Molotov cocktails while police fired tear gas and rubber bullets. Amidst the intense and turbid smoke, police subdued many protestors in the two days. Nine people, including Man, were charged with rioting at the CUHK campus. Hearings for all cases have been scheduled at the District Court.

“Oh, s***! This is it!” Man thought the moment he was arrested.

He was pressed onto the ground and beaten as tear gas swirled around him. In an era when anyone can risk being arrested even while grocery shopping, Man said he had already pictured the scene of his own arrest before. When the time came, however, he could not think at all. He could not even shout his name out to a journalist holding a camera. All he could feel was the physical pain as he curled up reflexively to protect himself.

Some arrestees were dragged by the police on the burnt ground with bricks scattered all over. Others lost their shoes. Still others bled from their heads, their hair in disarray. Man started to think of his family and worried they would see him being arrested. “Would they be able to handle it? Would it be too much?” he wondered.

Man said he grew up with a traditional Chinese family - family members did not communicate much with one other. His parents did not readily express themselves but the children knew that they were cared for and loved. After his release on bail, his parents said many things they never said before: “We do care about you”, “you can tell us whatever you want”. He reflected for a moment and said, “I can feel it. It’s good to have their support. Behind their support, I can sense their deep worry.”

Faced with a rioting charge, Man did not want to say much to his family and friends. He dared not share his melancholy views like "I may end up in prison for 7-8 years."

He further explained, “What else can I say? Can't you see that after this incident, the remaining time in your life... these precious moments may now be few and far between? Why waste your time crying and mourning? I just don’t think it’s worth it.” Man added that he carries on with life as if he had never been charged with rioting. He cherishes the rest of his time with his family, often visiting his elders and talking casually with friends, “It’s like how we talked about different things before. Let's talk and listen to a song as if nothing happened before." What does the future hold? "Everyone is showing support."

Man was released on bail after his charge and now has to abide by strict bail conditions. Frequent court appearances and legal proceedings are now part of his daily life. For instance, he would occasionally have to report to the police station mid-meal while with friends at the restaurant. Man feels that these are his shackles in life: “It’s a disturbance to daily life. It keeps reminding me that I have this charge and that I will have to go to court one day.” Faced with the uncertainty of the trial process, like when the trial will begin and whether the case will hold any sudden new developments, Man thinks that the wait is already an ordeal enough as he "cannot predict what will happen tomorrow".

Man likened these "people" (accused of rioting) to terminally ill patients. The doctor has told them how many days are left, and the patients themselves will count down the days. "It's so difficult for them to plan their lives because, in the end, it may all be in vain. The case has wiped out all previous efforts to prepare for the future." Man once intended to travel to Xinjiang with friends but now that the court proceedings have begun, he cannot leave Hong Kong. After finding a job, he thought about taking his family to travel but this may no longer happen. He wants to learn Japanese but now he cannot go to Japan. He wants to learn how to drive but he worries that he "may be sentenced at any moment and won't even remember how after serving time". When he cannot be sure of where he will be next year, speaking of the future becomes an indulgence.

As more riot cases are brought to court and adjudicated, some arrestees have pleaded guilty. Man started to analyze the cases and verdicts as reference for his own case. “Will I reject the statement from the police?”, “Did the incident occurring at the scene benefit the plaintiff?” He could not help being surrounded by these thoughts. However, he came to no conclusion as it all depends on the judge in the end. “It’s like a lottery ticket and I can only wait to see if I drew a 'normal' one," he laughed bitterly. “If the judgment is not as expected, it will overwhelm me." Man dared not have high expectations.

The only silver lining for Man is that while his case already has gone through several arraignment hearings, the trial is not expected to happen for another six months to a year. He described the wait as enjoying the “last days of freedom”. Although he must adhere to the conditions of bail, it is still much better than being in jail. He wanted to dedicate these “stolen moments” to his family and to himself. Man termed it “spending time for himself” but hopes to help the movement in other ways. At the end of the semester, he helped out with street booths by handing out pamphlets. “I am not good at design or publishing, so I’m just helping out with what I can.”

Man was released on bail after his arrest at CUHK. The weekend after the CUHK incident was when the Polytechnic University (PolyU) incident occurred. He was still recovering both mentally and physically but he continued watching live feeds from PolyU the entire night. “I saw people trying to save others [from inside PolyU]. Some policemen fired shots and I saw some armoured vehicles rushing inside...” When Man witnessed protesters doing all they could in the battle while he could only watch, his pain intensified.

Man saw protesters trying to escape PolyU chased down and beaten by the police. Some were forced to return to the campus while others were caught. He understood the despair these people probably felt as they watched others run away while they were subdued by the police. On the night of the PolyU incident, crowds of Hong Kong citizens tried to get near PolyU but failed. There was even a stampede incident at Yau Mai Tei where many people were arrested. Through the live video feed, Man could tell that many of the arrestees would be charged with rioting. “Another two hundred of my so-called ‘brothers’ (arrested protesters).” Man did not wish to have even more of these "brothers".

Man felt that being arrested was a painful experience, but that watching the PolyU incident was even worse. “It's not that being charged with rioting was no big deal. It's that there are so many people out there worse off than me. Others are going through greater suffering and some will never be able to come back.”

The reporter asked Man whether he found his rioting charge too much to bear. Man quoted Leung Kai-ping as a response, "What really connects Hong Kong people as a common entity is suffering. No one will feel that they have done enough because there is always someone else who has done more than you. But if we all feel the pain together, no one will likely feel that they have done enough.”

Man did not think he could accept the charge of "rioting", nor did he feel that anyone could bear 10 years in prison. However, he believes some people who find it too much to bear will choose to just close their eyes and pretend as if nothing happened. Others may be more willing to face the burden given to them. He said that if the crime of rioting was a curse on this generation, then someone had to make the necessary sacrifice. He was unfortunate to be among the chosen ones but he had no regrets.

The reporter asked Man what he would like to say to his future self. He simply said, “Wish me luck.” However, he also wanted to tell the future people of Hong Kong, "I hope that we will not be so cynical and lose our passion this time, but will truly persevere. In the past, we all lived too comfortably. We could emigrate if anything happened or leave with a BNO passport. But this time around, there are things we have to contend with. If you just leave and give up, it will all be for nought. Too many people who have sacrificed too much… so I hope we can truly persevere.”

His message to Hongkongers is simply these words: “Please keep fighting.”

Source: The Stand News, June 2020

http://bitly.ws/ay2d