Police arrested three men last night over the storming of the Legislative Council following a day of unruly protests on July 1.
HK01 reports that the suspects, all locals, include a a 19-year-old surnamed Law, a 20-year-old surnamed Wong, and a 29-year-old surnamed Chow.
All three were arrested on suspicion of “entering or remaining in precincts of [the] Chamber” under the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance, which states that anyone other than a lawmaker who either enters, or attempts to enter, the LegCo chamber without permission can be fined up to HK$2,000 (about US$255) and sentenced to up to three months behind bars.
The outlet reported that Wong was additionally accused of committing criminal damage, while Law and Chow were accused of conspiracy to commit criminal damage.
The men were arrested in connection to a major protest on July 1, when thousands of protesters laid siege to the Legislative Council. Police, seemingly chastened after the backlash to their heavy-handed response to a previous protest on June 12, largely held back and allowed the crowd to vandalize the facade of the building.
As night fell, police retreated again as protesters forced their way into the complex, leaving scores of masked protesters to run amok inside the LegCo, scrawling graffiti on walls and defacing the emblem of Hong Kong in the the legislative chamber itself.
By the time police moved in at around midnight to disperse the protesters surrounding the building, those inside had already fled.
