Radical localist group Hong Kong Indigenous knew no bounds when it came to means of protesting, its spokesman said on Tuesday as he refuted Beijing’s claim that the recent riot in Mong Kok was related to separatist movements. Asked to take a stance on acts such as hurling bricks and starting fires that occurred last week, Edward Leung Tin-kei said his group would support any means of resistance to oppression. He then said half-jokingly: “We know no bounds when we do things.” “If you want real achievement, you can’t contemplate too much,” added the Legislative Council by-election contender, speaking at a meeting with the media in which he accused the Registration and Election Office of censoring his poll brochures. Leung also responded to Beijing’s branding of those who took part in the clashes in Mong Kok as “radical separatists” – a label previously reserved for groups in the Tibet and Xinjiang regions. Denying the clashes had anything to do with separatism, he said: “People just wanted to treat themselves to some fishballs. Who would have thought police equipped with riot gear would be deployed to clear the scene?” He said the label used by Beijing was a trap, so he would not comment on it. But he added: “If it’s referring to us, I don’t actually mind.” He attributed the cause of the disturbances to the Hong Kong government, which he said had escalated tension through its “oppression”, and dismissed allegations that his group organised the disturbances as “utterly groundless”. The group’s convener, Ray Wong Toi-yeung, has been missing since last week after publishing high-profile “final messages to Hongkongers”. Leung, who appeared in court last week to face one count of rioting, said he had not heard anything from Wong since Thursday, when he was granted bail after being detained in police custody. When asked for his view on reporters being attacked by protesters in Mong Kok, he said the media should not be suppressed. However, he noted sometimes reporters got caught up in chaotic scenes. Leung said Hong Kong Indigenous was likely to take a “back seat” for now, since more than 20 of its members had been arrested. About 10 volunteers were still keeping the group running, he said. Meanwhile, Leung accused the Registration and Election Office of failing to help him deliver his campaign brochures. It refused to do so, he said, because the literature contained phrases suggesting “independence”, in violation of the Basic Law. He urged the office to apologise and change its decision. Leung is contending the upcoming Legco by-election in New Territories East with social worker Nelson Lau Chi-sing, vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong Holden Chow Ho-ding, independent candidate Albert Leung Sze-ho, Sai Kung district councillor Christine Fong Kwok-shan, and Civic Party’s Alvin Yeung Ngok-yiu. A spokesman from the election office said it had sought legal advice from the Department of Justice on the matter.