My Take | Thanks for nothing as Occupy trio face jail
- Leaders of civil disobedience movement are scholars guilty of pride, arrogance and naivety, who led idealistic youngsters to the barricades and shut the door on any form of democracy
The “Occupy trio” deserve jail. They themselves said so, long before the Occupy protests started in 2014.
They said they were launching a civil disobedience movement for democracy in Hong Kong. This meant breaking “evil” laws and governance. The three – the Reverend Chu Yiu-ming, Benny Tai Yiu-ting and Dr Chan Kin-man – have said all along that they were ready and willing to take the punishment imposed by unjust law.
Of course, jailing the nine, or not, solves absolutely nothing. The damage has been done; the rupture in the social fabric may be irreparable.
The crime they are convicted of is causing public nuisance, but what they are really guilty of are the sins of pride, arrogance and naivety.
They are scholars who thought they could apply theories they read from books to the streets of Hong Kong; devout Christians who thought the moral charity they learned from the Bible would guide their way.