Hong Kong localist Edward Leung ‘sorry’ for assaulting police officers during Mong Kok riot
Former Hong Kong Indigenous spokesman tells court he did not intend to use violence but let anger get the better of him
Hong Kong localist activist Edward Leung Tin-kei told a court on Wednesday that he “felt very sorry” for assaulting police officers during the Mong Kok riot on the Lunar New Year two years ago.
Leung’s apology came as he explained to a jury on his second day of testimony that he had never intended to use violence when he went to the popular shopping district on February 8, 2016 in support of local hawkers.
He had allowed anger to get the better of him, and “felt very sorry about it”, he said.
The former Hong Kong Indigenous spokesman, 26, is on trial with four other men on charges of rioting and inciting others to take part in a riot. He earlier pleaded guilty to a separate count of assaulting police.
Hong Kong localist Edward Leung tells Mong Kok riot trial he acted out of duty to protect hawkers and crowds
The High Court previously heard that Leung threw the top part of a rubbish bin in the direction of some officers and attacked a sergeant with a plastic bottle and a wooden board, leaving the policeman with a swollen ear and cuts on his knees.