Prosecutors claim Occupy ringleaders spent a year planning protest that brought Hong Kong to a standstill

Court shown videos of founders Benny Tai, Chan Kin-man and Reverend Chu Yiu-ming addressing students

Trio are seen explaining what civil disobedience entails, while lawmaker Tanya Chan is seen rallying support for student protest

3-MIN READ3-MIN

Raphael Wong (left), Benny Tai (centre) and Chan Kin-man arrive at West Kowloon court where they are standing trial. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 5:15pm, 20 Nov 2018Updated: 11:20pm, 20 Nov 2018

A Hong Kong court was shown video footage on Tuesday of the Occupy protest movement four years ago that brought part of the city to a standstill.

The string of video clips played at West Kowloon depicted how the movement’s three founders – Benny Tai Yiu-ting, Chan Kin-man, and the Reverend Chu Yiu-ming – and six key protesters had called for the public to fight for universal suffrage through a peaceful demonstration.

But, the city’s prosecutors said the snippets were evidence the group had incited the crowd for the 79-day protest, which they said was a “calculated” effort to force authorities to respond to their political demands.

Protesters watch a live feed of a meeting between the government and students during the Occupy movement in 2014. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

In some of the clips, the nine defendants ask for protesters to call on others to come and support the movement in the days before it began on September 28, 2014. Other videos showed the three ringleaders hosting public forums.

Tai, 54, Chan, 59, and Chu, 74, have each denied three joint counts: one of conspiracy to cause public nuisance; one of inciting others to cause public nuisance; and one of inciting people to incite others to cause public nuisance.