Two political activists belonging to the April 5th Action Group were convicted yesterday of defacing the SAR flag during a rally against police last year. Convicting Koo Sze-yiu, 55, and 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung, 45, on one count of desecrating the regional flag, Western Court magistrate Stephen Wong Wing-chi said there was no doubt the defendants committed the offence intentionally. Koo and Leung had pleaded not guilty. Mr Wong noted that a police video played in court clearly showed the defaced regional flag being displayed on a fake wooden coffin carried by the protesters in Chater Garden during the demonstration on May 12. He said the defendants' actions were obviously an insult to the SAR flag and said the Court of Final Appeal had previously explained the significance of the Regional Flag and Regional Emblem Ordinance, adding that the Government was responsible for protecting the flag. In mitigation, Koo, representing himself, said he had no faith in the laws of Hong Kong. However, he admitted he had intentionally defaced the regional flag, and said he would continue protesting. Leung, also representing himself, insisted the protest had been a peaceful expression of their political opinions and said they should not have been convicted. He said the Regional Flag and Regional Emblem Ordinance should be scrapped because it infringed human rights. Mr Wong was told Leung had eight previous convictions for offences committed during demonstrations, while Koo had four. The magistrate adjourned sentencing until March 26 pending background reports on the defendants. Koo and Leung were each granted bail. After Mr Wong handed down his verdict, the pair attended another hearing before a different magistrate in the same court. Both are charged with contempt, which they deny, over the shouting of slogans during a Legco question-and-answer session on Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's annual Policy Address on October 11 last year. In a police video played in court yesterday, Leung and Koo were seen shouting anti-government slogans in the public gallery while Mr Tung was answering a question from legislator Frederick Fung Kin-kee. Magistrate Symon Wong Yu-wing ruled that the defendants had a case to answer and adjourned the hearing until today.
