Hong Kong protests: student jailed for more than 4 years over role in chaos from Tuen Mun march against ‘dama’ singers
- The 21-year-old defendant was found guilty of rioting and possessing an offensive weapon at the September 2019 protest
- The march began as a demonstration against the behaviour of the controversial performers, but quickly descended into clashes with police
Lee Ho-ming was given 51 months in prison on Friday for his “active” role in the incident on September 21, 2019, when protesters marched to complain about the noise and risqué behaviour of a group of middle-aged women from mainland China – derisively known as dama , or ‘big mamas’ – who sang and danced at Tuen Mun Park for tips.
Though the case was a District Court-level prosecution, it was held at the larger West Kowloon Court due to space issues.
The Tuen Mun march had been approved by authorities, but the situation descended into chaos after the initial rally ended, with some 250 protesters erecting roadblocks and paralysing traffic in the heart of the northwestern residential town. Some also hurled petrol bombs and hard objects at police.
The prosecution alleged that during a 30-minute stand-off at 4pm that day, Lee – armed with a shield and walking stick – helped other protesters dig up bricks from the pavement to use against police, and pulled out a fire hose for others to spray officers with water.
The defence denied the allegations, saying the perpetrator seen in video evidence was not their client.