Two activists charged over an incident in which Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said he was struck on the chest were acquitted yesterday.
Wong Chun-kit, 25, and Wong Ho-ming, 22, were both charged with behaving in a disorderly manner in a public place.
Finding the League of Social Democrats members not guilty, magistrate Johnny Chan Jong-herng said there was not enough evidence to show their behaviour had led to a breach of the peace or threatened public order. The government said it was considering whether to appeal.
Chan said he did not agree with 'noisy or disorderly manner' in which the two accused had expressed their grievances against the government and that 'the court did not agree with the behaviour of the defendants.
'But in the process of making a verdict, the court has to consider whether there was enough evidence to support all the elements of the charge.'
The magistrate said there was no evidence showing that the defendants intended, or that others at the scene were provoked, to resort to violence - an element of breach of peace.
The Department of Justice said it was considering the magistrate's decision to determine whether to institute an appeal to the Court of First Instance.