A homeless man in Hong Kong has been given a fine of HK$1,000 (US$130) for spraying protest graffiti outside a subway station in June.
Lou Tit-man, 75, pled guilty to one count of criminal damage at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday. The fine is meant to cover a “cleaning fee” for the MTR, HK01 reports. The court also handed down a two-week suspended jail sentence.
Lou was arrested for spray-painting a Chinese idiom that roughly translates as “vindication for the wronged” outside Prince Edward Station on June 1. He told police he sprayed the graffiti to express his dissatisfaction with the government.
Outside the court building, Lou said he felt the “cleaning fee” is unreasonable and that the amount is a considerable burden to him.
According to Stand News, Lou has been living on the streets near the Mong Kok police station for more than five years. Born and orphaned in the Philippines, Lou moved to Hong Kong when he was 11 and has been homeless since he was 19.
Read more: Falling through the cracks: Homelessness in Hong Kong
The elderly man is no stranger to the city’s pro-democracy protests.
Two years ago, Lou was found guilty of criminal contempt of court for blocking the clearance of a protest camp in Mong Kok during the 2014 Umbrella Movement. His four-month jail term was overturned after he won an appeal against the sentence.
At the peak of the protest movement last year, Lou reportedly used his government subsidies to buy food for demonstrators and spent his nights sticking protest posters. He told media that he follows political developments by listening to his handy radio, one of the few possessions he has.
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